Chains of Misery
by DragonKnight159
Summary: With Sailor Galaxia and Chaos finally beaten the Sailor Guardians have a chance to enjoy a calm, normal civilian life until a familiar enemy returns. A mysterious new ally claiming to be a shinigami also joins their ranks but he seems like he couldn't care less about them. It's up to the six of them to stop the forces of evil creeping into Tokyo!
1. The Strange New Classmate

**A/N: Okay, I'll be honest. I never pictured myself submitting this let alone writing it. But I've gotten far enough along and have enough storyline ideas that I figured I might as well. I started this maybe 2, 3 years ago when I got my hands on the original Sailor Moon English Dub. It's a childhood memory, getting up in the morning to watch it before school but I had never seen it in its entirety until recently (well, most of it recently). Now with Viz redubbing it I picked it up and am finding that I still enjoy it if for no other reason than nostalgia (the redub is infinitely better in my opinion, by the way).**

 **So you know, I'm basing the names and situations on a combination of the old and new dubs. Since the original dub butchered the names of attacks and people I'm using the redub as my basis. For things that haven't been seen in the redub yet I'm making it up to what I think it would be based on what they've done so far. As for the BLEACH section of this story there is an OCxSailor pairing so if you object to that then either deal with it or go somewhere else. I tried to blend the two universes together as best I could but let me know if you see anything that could use some touching up. Also, if I get any of the Sailor Moon names way wrong please tell me so I can correct it.**

 **One last note before I shut up so you can read the story: This is an action-oriented story but also written as a pseudo slice-of-life, looking at some of the day-to-day interactions the Sailor Guardians have. Enjoy**

 **DK159**

* * *

"I can't be late! Not on the first day!" Usagi Tsukino yelled as she ran down the street to school with her lunch clenched tightly between her teeth.

"This wouldn't happen if you actually set your alarm clock once in a while," Luna told her as she ran along the sidewall. "Even if you can't manage to wake up at least you do your homework now. Not that it didn't take two years of persistent nagging."

"AUGH! I FORGOT MY BAG!" the bun-headed blonde shrieked as she skidded to a stop and turned around. Luna stopped to catch her breath and let out a loud sigh. Before too long Usagi ran past her on the way to her first day of her junior year.

"Give her a danger that threatens the safety of the galaxy and she handles it with no difficulty," the black cat muttered. "Tell her to be up by seven to get ready for school and she panics."

Usagi cut the corner that her school was on to see Minako Aino running from the opposite direction. They briefly greeted each other as they ran past the school gate where the entirety of the junior class was gathered.

"Makoto and Ami must be up front," Minako said as they both panted for breath. "But I wonder what this assembly is all about."

"Who cares? All I know is that this thing definitely saved our bacon," Usagi commented as the school principal, a middle-aged man, took the stage.

"Excuse me, everyone. Can I have your attention please?" he asked into the microphone. "I know that many of you are excited to get to homeroom but there were a number of changes we made this year including some remodeling. As a result many of the classrooms have changed." He continued on for several minutes before letting the students in. Usagi and Minako followed the instructions they'd picked up outside to make their way to homeroom to notice that Ami and Makoto were also in class with them.

"This is amazing," Ami said as the two blondes sat down. "What are the chances that all four of us are together now?"

"All we need is Rei and we'll be complete," Makoto said as Usagi looked off to the side muttering under her breath.

"If you girls are done chatting," the teacher said as she stared right at the four of them, "then I can actually start class." The girls apologized, slightly embarrassed at being singled out, as they turned to the front of the class. "Thank you. Now before we get too far along I have two new students to introduce." The class watched as a girl with long raven-black hair walked in and wrote 'Rei Hino' on the board.

"My name is Rei Hino," she said with a smile and a bow. Many of the boys that had only been half-conscious were now fully alert. The teacher pointed Rei towards a seat near Usagi and the others.

The next one to come in was a boy just taller than Rei also with black hair. His face was framed by two long bangs and the rest of his hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. His uniform was jet black with white trim and buttons unlike the other boys' navy blue outfits. On the board he wrote 'Kenshin Suzaku'. "I'm a transfer student from Okinawa," he said succinctly before taking a seat near the front. Right from there the teacher went into the first lesson.

* * *

The day went by quickly and the girls went to Rei's temple where both Artemis and Luna met them. "It's a good thing you girls got here when you did," the white cat began. "Luna and I have been getting weird vibes all day, like something big is coming our way."

"Do either of you know what it is?" Usagi asked as she snuck one of Rei's doughnuts.

"That's the worst part. No," Luna answered causing Usagi to briefly choke.

"Come to think of it," Rei recalled as she looked to the ceiling, "I noticed something off about my morning fire reading today. Actually, _all_ my fire readings of late have been strange."

"Maybe we should go on patrol tonight," Makoto offered excitedly. "I mean, things have been so calm lately I'm startin' to go stir-crazy. It'd be a good idea to remind the creeps in this city that the Sailor Guardians are still around to bring justice and love to the people."

"If this is a new threat then we don't want to draw their attention to us quite yet," Luna told her.

"I'm with Makoto on this one," Artemis replied. "If it is a new threat then we need to draw them out to see what their capabilities are. It'll also give you an excuse to try out your new gadgets."

"What new gadgets?" Ami asked as Luna and Artemis dragged a small bag out of the closet. In it were sunglasses with frames matched to each girl. Usagi was the first to try them on and looked around.

"What exactly are these supposed to do?" she asked as she stared at the cats.

"These glasses will allow you to see the energy around you as a visible aura," Luna explained. "This way you'll be able to see if anyone is using a large amount of energy at once. And if someone is having their energy drained they'll light up like a beacon."

"But why don't we see anything now?" Minako asked as she moved the glasses up into her hair.

"Right now you're not using any energy so nothing shows up," Artemis replied. "Most humans can't consciously release energy when they're just standing around so if you see someone that is you know to watch them. They could be under some evil influence or be whatever is giving off these bad vibes." The girls agreed to keep an eye out as they headed their separate ways.

* * *

Rei was in the middle of a fire reading when she felt a wave of pressure hit her like a cannonball. Even if it was only for a couple seconds she felt winded and worn out. She went to the front of the temple where, to her surprise, was Kenshin Suzaku walking past the main gate.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Kenshin," she said as she waved to him. He turned to her, almost surprised by her presence.

"It was Rei, right? From homeroom?" he asked and she nodded. "I didn't realize you were the shrine maiden here."

"I live here with my grandpa," she explained as they walked up to the shrine where he said a small prayer and rang the bell. "I wouldn't have pictured you as a Shinto practitioner."

"To tell the truth I'm not," he admitted with a smirk, "but my father always told me that the first thing you need to do when you move into a new city is to pay your respects to the local gods. Seems a bit strange to me but it's the way he was raised."

"You make it sound like you live by yourself."

He nodded his head as they sat on the steps. "That was the original plan, at least until my folks got everything settled in Okinawa," he told her. "But the house they were looking at got bought at the last minute so for the time being I'm living with a family friend and working in his store. He's a bit strange but a good guy overall." He turned to her, his green eyes causing her to blush. "So why do you live here with your grandfather instead of with your parents?" he asked.

"Well, my father works for the government so I never see him. My mom died when I was little so my grandpa's raised me ever since. The fight between him and my grandpa was the last time I even heard from my father. He cares more about his career than his own family which is why grandpa let him have it."

"Not the greatest thing to say about your old man but then again it sounds like he deserves it," Kenshin replied as they both stood up. "Never imagined that a high school student would have it that hard. Anyway, I should head back before it gets too late."

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Rei asked hopefully but Kenshin shook his head.

"I actually have to head back to Okinawa to get the last of my things," he said. "I should be back by the end of the week but you know how these things go." He waved goodbye as he headed out the gate and down the steps. Rei noticed that the pressure seemed to lift as he left but tucked it in the back of her mind for later.

* * *

That night the girls were out on patrol and taking a moment to try out their new glasses. So far they hadn't found anything out of the ordinary so Rei pointed out the pressure she'd felt from Kenshin while conveniently forgetting to mention that he'd stopped by the shrine.

"You think he's connected to all this?" Minako asked as they turned the corner.

"I'm just saying it's weird," Rei answered shaking her head. "Artemis and Luna warn us about something strange going on and there's this unexplainable feeling about the guy. It might be related, it might just be a coincidence."

"He's actually really cute," Makoto pointed out as the other girls started to roll their eyes. "He kinda looks like my ex-boyfriend only way hotter."

"They _all_ look like your ex-boyfriend, Jupiter," Minako reminded her before turning to Usagi. "What's up, Sailor Moon? You've been quiet all night."

"Mamoru and I had another fight," she told them with a heavy sigh. "Maybe it's whatever Artemis and Luna were talking about but he's been on edge all week. I tried talking to him about it and we ended up in a shouting match."

"If there's something bothering them guys don't really like to talk about it. That's just the way they are," Rei replied, trying her hardest to be sympathetic. "Just give it some time. He may call tomorrow and patch things up or he may not call for a week." Usagi glared at her friend.

"Thanks, Sailor Mars. I feel _so_ much better," she said sarcastically.

Before Rei could fire off a comeback Ami spoke up. "I just had something flare up on my glasses!" she said excitedly. "Let's go." The girls nodded and took off at a sprint toward the glowing mass of energy.

They were a block away when the source of the energy came into view: a hulking ten-foot beast rippling with muscle and a white mask over its face. As the girls stopped and stared the creature turned its head to look at them, yellow irises glowing against a sea of black. Convinced that they wouldn't interrupt the beast turned back to its meal. The human stared up at it while quivering in fear, causing the chain on its chest to rattle. The creature reached down to pick it up when a beam of golden light slammed into its shoulder, distracting it long enough for the human to escape around the corner. Aggravated the beast turned its head again.

"How dare you brats interrupt my meal!" it shouted at them.

"We won't let you harm an innocent, not in our city," Usagi replied as she swung the Eternal Tiare around. "We are the Sailor Guardians and we stand for love and Justice. In the name of the moon we shall punish you."

"Big talk from a bunch of little girls," the creature murmured as it turned its body to face them and the Guardians froze. "Heh, I thought that might be the case. Never seen a Hollow before I take it?"

"Why is there a hole in your chest?" Minako asked as she tried to regain her composure.

"It'd be simpler to just eat you. Then you can understand for yourself!" The Hollow let loose a roar that shook the air around them as it charged.

"Bubble Spray Freeze!" Ami shouted. An icy mist surrounded the Hollow as his movements were quickly hindered by the ice forming on his limbs. "Venus, hurry! I can't hold him by myself."

"Right!" Minako gathered her energy as it began to spiral around her. "Love-Me Chain!" The chains wrapped around the Hollow's arms and anchored themselves in the ground.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Makoto joined in as she threw a disk of lightning.

"Flame Sniper!" Rei chanted as she pulled back on a fiery bow and released the shot. The two attacks merged together and the resulting blast slammed into the Hollow's stomach and shattered the streetlights around them.

"Damn you brats!" the Hollow growled as Usagi held up the Eternal Tiare once more. "How could I be defeated by you weaklings?"

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Usagi said as beams of golden light washed over the Hollow.

"It's...incredible," the beast realized as his body began to disintegrate. "This feeling...how refreshing." When the light faded all that was left was an older man with a hole in the middle of his chest. Before the girls could react his body flashed once and disappeared, leaving only a small glowing butterfly that disappeared into the night.

"Um, does anyone know what just happened?" Usagi asked but the other girls just shook their heads. "Just what is a 'Hollow' and why did I see an old man after my attack hit it?"

"We should probably continue this elsewhere," Minako suggested as lights began to turn on in the surrounding houses. The others agreed and they disappeared around the corner as the first person made their way out of their house.

Not far from them a figure clad in black stood on a rooftop with his phone out. He held it against his ear just as the butterfly from the Hollow landed on his free hand next to one just like it. "Is that what you wanted, Captain?" he asked.

"You could have gotten a little closer," a nasally voice said from the other side, "but there's still a great deal of information in what you sent. Good work." The line disconnected and the man sighed as he put his phone away.

"I hate that freaking creep," he muttered as he held the hand with the butterflies up. "You two should get going. There are others waiting for you on the other side." Both of them flapped their wings in acknowledgement and then flew off eventually disappearing. "Those girls not only purified a Hollow but they cleansed the sins he committed as a human too. That's nothing short of amazing."

A blip of pressure behind him caught his attention and he glanced back. On another rooftop was a male with blonde hair in a dark grey military uniform. Even though the man in black made no motion towards him the blonde vanished into a cloud of energy when he realized he'd been discovered.

"Seems I'm not the only one interested in these so-called Sailor Guardians," he mused. "Looks like things are just starting to get interesting."

* * *

The blonde man reappeared before a crowd of creatures of varying shapes and immediately knelt down. "Do you have a report for me, Jadeite?" a shadowy figure asked from its throne.

"I do, my Empress," Jadeite, general of the Dark Kingdom, replied as he stood up. "The Sailor Guardians are more powerful than the last time we faced them. The creature our ally sent us was quickly dispatched."

"Was this due to recklessness on your part or was this truly your plan all along?" the Empress asked as she began to remember Jadeite's previous plans.

"I suspected that our new 'friend' sent us an extremely weak Hollow," he explained quickly, "and my suspicions were correct. Even still their powers barely managed to defeat it. With your permission, Empress, I would like to continue testing the Guardians until we are fully aware of their new powers. It will also afford us the time for the others to finish their transformation."

The Empress tapped her temple several times, her fingernails clicking against her crown. "Very well, Jadeite," she said after several moments. "I will trust your judgment on this matter. Do as you see fit but do not abuse our ally's trust. Make these distractions worth the effort."

Jadeite bowed with one hand to his chest. "As you command, Empress Beryl."


	2. A Night Out with the New Guy

True to his word Kenshin was back on Thursday for classes but Rei barely got a chance to talk with him. The few classes she had with him she was the only person he spoke with unless he was answering a question the teacher asked. Even at lunch he ate by himself despite the invitations of several girls including Rei and Makoto. By the time the weekend rolled around Rei wasn't sure if they were friends or he just felt compelled to talk with her since he had visited the shrine.

It was after school on Tuesday when the girls found out they would have to pick an extracurricular. Rei settled on one of the performing arts groups while Ami immediately chose the math, chess and computer clubs. The worst case, as she explained, would be that she'd give up chess club. Usagi decided to try cross country since it didn't involve academics or coordination and it had the added benefit of building up her stamina.

That left Makoto and Minako with their choices. Makoto passed up Home Economics and decided to check out the Judo Club, determined to be the first girl to join. Minako joined her simply because she had no idea which club to join this year. Makoto passed the test with flying colors and, despite the protests of the upper classmen, accepted the invitation to the team. Despite all her experience as Sailor Venus Minako found that she had no skill in judo, proven when she could barely last a few seconds on the mat.

From there she went to the only activity that was left for boys and girls: kendo. When she arrived a beam of reflected light nearly blinded her. The instructor was a bald man with rolled up sleeves and a wooden sword resting on his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed almost like he was constantly in a bad mood. Of her class members Minako only recognized a few but in particular Kenshin who was seated at the front of the group.

"You're late," Ikkaku Madarame told her as her cheeks flushed. Minako quickly apologized before picking up one of the bamboo practice swords like everyone else had. "Consider yourself lucky that all you missed was the opening speech. Now we're moving onto the actual tryouts. If you want to even have a chance of making it in this year you'll have to either land a hit or dodge one." All the students, except Kenshin, looked at each other nervously. "Not against me of course," Ikkaku assured them but the smile on his face did nothing to relax them. "Yo', Kenshin. You're up." The boy stood up and walked over to the practice mat where he waited for the first opponent. "The one you'll be going up against is Kenshin Suzaku."

One boy stood and Minako recognized him as one of the more popular jocks in the school. He confidently went at Kenshin only to be sidestepped and struck in the back of the head with the practice sword.

"Since when the hell did I say there were any other rules?" Ikkaku said when the boy complained about the illegal hit. "If you can't dodge him or hit him then you don't make the cut."

Two students got up together and charged Kenshin. With one upward strike he knocked one sword into the air and on the downstroke forced the other sword to the ground before quickly thrusting. The rubberized tip slammed into the student's chest, winding him and throwing him back, and Kenshin quickly slashed down and back, catching the other student in the calf and sweeping him off his feet.

"No freaking way. He just took down two people at the same time," one of the seated students muttered and Minako could see that her prospects were essentially zero at this point. A handful more students tried to take Kenshin on only to be knocked down or thrown down without any indication of effort on Kenshin's part. Most of the students chose to walk out rather than take on an impossible opponent and Minako noticed that Ikkaku was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

 _"I may not stand a chance but that doesn't mean I can't try,"_ she told herself as she stood up. By this point she was the only one left that hadn't left or been beaten. As she stepped onto the mat she kept her distance from Kenshin while going through the various moves he'd used so far in her head. With something that resembled a plan she went at him, starting off with a feint. Unfortunately Kenshin easily saw through it and swung downward, making Minako's duck ineffective. What he didn't expect was for Minako to keep moving forward to try and get inside of his attack range. Kenshin quickly backstepped before planting one foot down and pivoting, dodging Minako's attack. At the end of the pivot he swung, slamming his sword into her back and sending her flying across the room.

"So that's the way it is, huh?" Ikkaku asked as he shook his head. "Can't say that I'm really all that surprised. Anyway, all of you except that first kid come back tomorrow and you'll get your team designations." When the first student, the jock, complained about his being cut Ikkaku just scoffed. "If you can't accept that you lost fair and square then I ain't having you on this team."

After everything was said and done Minako started limping her way home. Her pride was more injured than her body was but she couldn't help but be amazed at Kenshin's speed and strength. She didn't doubt for a minute that he was a kendo prodigy but that wouldn't explain why he was joining a school kendo club and not something more professional.

 _"Hang on a sec. Is that...?"_ she thought as she came to a street crossing where Kenshin was standing. "Kenshin!"

The boy turned to see her waving at him, responding with nothing but a cocked eyebrow. "You wouldn't be following me home now, would you?" he asked carefully.

Minako shook her head, both as an answer and in mild disbelief. "No, this is the quickest way for me to get home as well," she explained. "I usually take a longer route with my girlfriends but they wrapped up before we did."

"Ah, sorry about that," Kenshin finally apologized, rubbing the back of his head as his cheeks lightly flushed. "That move of yours caught me off-guard a bit and I reacted instinctively. Still, it was a pretty good move..." He hesitated as he tried to recall her name.

"Minako," she answered, choosing to cut him some slack, "and it's okay...I guess. You're really good though. Were you captain of your last school's team?"

"Nah, only fourth seat," he admitted as they crossed together. "Not for lack of trying, mind you. Our team captain was something of a beast. And the lieutenant isn't someone that I'd mess with either. The third seat..." He chuckled as he recalled him. "He was just nuts. Tough as all get out but not a bad guy." He turned to Minako. "So what made you decide you wanted to do kendo?"

"Well, I'm not what you would call good at Home Ec.," she admitted bashfully. "And I got my butt kicked in judo. Definitely not smart enough for the math or computer clubs and chess just makes my head hurt."

"What about one of the sports clubs or choir? Anything had to be easier than kendo."

"Eh, no interest really," she said with a shrug. "Although trying out for those probably would have hurt a lot less than kendo." Kenshin apologized again and Minako just laughed it off. "I'm just picking on you. Besides, it was pretty clear from the get-go that everyone there was out of their league."

They made idle chatter until they came to a small candy shop nestled between two houses. As Kenshin was saying goodbye an explosion sounded from the inside of the store. Kenshin rushed over and threw the door open only to be hit with a wall of smoke. He covered his mouth and nose as the overwhelming smell of something foul caused his eyes to start tearing up. "Oh for the love of all things holy," he coughed as he stepped out of the smoke. "Urahara! What the hell did you do?"

"Oh, welcome back, Kenshin," a nasal voice answered from within the smoke. A man in a green jacket with traditional wooden sandals and a green-and-white striped hat on top of his straw-colored hair walked out, waving a fan in front of his nose which was shut with a clothespin. "There was a bit of a mishap with dinner. Really, Tessai is much better with this than I ever was."

Kenshin responded with a punch to the top of the man's head, causing a large lump to form through the hat. "Idiot! My stuff is in there!" the teenager yelled. "Now it's going to smell like this...this..."

"Not to worry," Urahara said as he displayed the fan and grinned. "I should be able to get the smell out of everything by tonight. No need to worry, my boy." A loud rumbling interrupted any further conversation and caused Kenshin to blush. "Hmm, well that makes things a little more difficult," Urahara mused. "I suppose I could give you some money to go out to eat and just take it out of your pay."

Another blow to the head formed a second lump next to the first and put Urahara in the dirt face first. "Why the hell is it coming out of my pay?! You're the one that did this." Urahara ceded the point and handed Kenshin a handful of bills. Kenshin thanked his caretaker as he and Minako continued to walk away.

"No offense but..." Minako started to say but Kenshin just glared at her. "Oh nevermind. I'll just walk over here."

Kenshin's glare faded as he gave a tired sigh, accompanied by another loud stomach growl. "This is going to be fun," he muttered. "I really want to get something to eat but there's no way any restaurant will let me in the door smelling like this. If this keeps up I'm gonna end up eating my shoes."

"Well, do you want to stop by my place and grab a shower? Some of my dad's old clothes might actually fit you too," Minako suggested and elicited a curious glance from Kenshin. "What? Just offering to help a classmate in need."

Kenshin just sighed but thanked her all the same. Her house wasn't that far from Urahara's store and he could still see the plume of smoke rising into the air. Doing his best to ignore his caregiver for the time being he looked over Minako's house and was impressed overall. It was far from the largest house he'd seen in Tokyo but it was a fair bit bigger than many of the houses in this neighborhood.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Minako shouted as they took their shoes off. The house was completely dark. "Hey, anybody here?"

As she explored the house Kenshin made his way into the dining room where he found a note. "Dear Minako. Your father and I left for our anniversary early. There's plenty of food in the fridge and pantry and money just in case. Don't spend it all on sweets. Love, Mom," he read as Minako entered the room. She sighed and muttered something along the lines of 'Just my luck' when Kenshin quickly told her, "This _is_ easier than having to explain why you're bringing home a boy you just met, right?" After a moment she agreed to the point and directed him to the downstairs shower only because the washer and dryer were in there as well. He was happy not to have her doing his laundry considering how much he was putting her out already.

After a bit he exited the bathroom in the clothes that Minako had set aside for him. Her father had been a little bigger than him but he was happy for fresh-smelling clothes. "Umm, Minako?" he asked as he adjusted the undershirt which was surprisingly tight. "I don't think this is one of your dad's. I'm starting to lose feeling in my arms." He peeled the shirt off just as she rounded the corner and her face turned bright red. "Oh. Uh..."

"It's...it's fine," Minako said quickly as she desperately tried to tear her eyes away. She knew he was in good shape but seeing and knowing are two very different things. His muscles were well-defined but he lacked a six-pack and there wasn't a strand of body hair to be found on him. Trying to find something to say she looked him over until seeing something interesting on the front of his right shoulder. "Is that a tattoo?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean this," he said, looking down at the image. "Yeah, it's supposed to represent a yarrow." When she stared blankly at him he added, "It's a flower that represents strength. You could call it a...relic from my old kendo squad."

"They had you guys get tattoos?" Minako asked and Kenshin shook his head. He held up the tight shirt and Minako took the hint that he wanted to drop it. When she returned she gave him a white undershirt and a button up casual shirt. He left the casual shirt unbuttoned as he adjusted everything. "Wow, this is really weird. You look way too much like my dad right now," she said before clamping her hands over her mouth.

"It's fine," Kenshin said before she could apologize. "I will say that at least your old man has decent taste. Way better than mine does." He smiled as she tried recovering. "So, shall we head out?"

Heading towards downtown was a quick trip and the two teens made small talk as they walked along the streets. Minako wanted to show him around so he could get a feel for the place but the complaining from his stomach dictated their course. They walked into a diner and they eyed the menu while waiting to be seated.

"So what exactly is a 'Gargantuan Burger'?" Kenshin asked and Minako, along with several staffers, turned to him. "What?"

"It's kinda the local challenge," Minako explained quickly. "If you finish a Gargantuan you and your guest eat free for a week. If you don't...well..."

"It's that much, huh?" he finished for her and she nodded. "Sounds interesting. I'll take two." Minako, the staff, and nearby patrons stopped what they were doing and stared at the young man.

"We take this challenge very seriously, kid," one of the cooks said from the kitchen window. "I don't need some smart-aleck mocking us-"

"I wasn't mocking you. I'll take two of the Gargantuan burgers," Kenshin interrupted him, staring him in the eye as he did. "How about you, Minako? Think you can handle one of them?" She quickly shook her head and ordered a salad. Kenshin had to reiterate his point several times in order to get across to them what he wanted and they were finally seated.

Minako had time to finish her salad and even start into dessert by the time the two massive burgers arrived. Each was a pound of cooked beef on a bakery roll with the usual burger trimmings. The fries, which weren't part of the challenge, were on a plate that Minako snuck a few bites of while Kenshin prepped himself. The entire restaurant, patrons included, was gathered around the two teens as Kenshin dug in. It didn't take long for him to devour both burgers as if they were nothing and even eat half of the fries. After getting over the shock the owner took a photo with Kenshin and went over the conditions of winning the challenge after which Kenshin and Minako left but not before leaving behind a generous tip.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Minako asked for what was likely the fifth time since leaving the diner. Kenshin nodded once more and Minako couldn't help but sigh. "No one should be able to eat that much in one sitting. It's like your stomach is a bottomless pit."

"I've been told that before," the teenage boy mused as they walked past the arcade where Usagi could be seen trying to beat a high score on one of her favorite games. "But today was kinda different. I missed breakfast and gave my lunch to some guy named Umino after some bullies stole his, after which I took care of said bullies. I also had a bunch of stuff to do yesterday and missed dinner..." He trailed off there, sure that by now Minako had an idea of how hungry he had been.

Minako was going to respond until she saw a poster up by the theater. She let out a squeal and rushed to the poster, doing her best not to drool as she stared at it. Kenshin looked it over before asking what was so special about it. "This is based on a light novel I read a while back but I never thought it would get released," she explained. "I've been trying to get the other girls to see it but they always have other plans." When Kenshin didn't reply she looked back to where he'd been standing only to see empty space. _"Did I bore him so much that he just up and ditched me?"_ she thought to herself, wondering how pathetic she looked by herself now.

The sound of Kenshin clearing his throat from her left caught her attention as she turned to see him holding two tickets to the movie. "If you want to see it that bad I don't see the harm in seeing it with you," he said as her mouth hung open. "Consider this as repayment for helping me out today." Minako felt her face flush as she stuttered out a thanks before walking with him into the theater.

By the time the movie ended the sun was starting to set outside and many of the shops around the arcade were closing up shop, to be expected on a school-night. Minako's eyes were still puffy from crying at the movie's end which she said was fairly close to the light novel. All Kenshin could do was nod and agree since he had never read it. Truth be told he'd slept through most of the movie and had managed not to get caught by Minako.

As they walked down the street leading to Minako's house Kenshin stopped and glanced backwards, his eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?" Minako asked as she looked around.

"You guys can come out now," he said loudly. "I know you've been shadowing us since we left the movies so there's no point hiding now." Minako was about to comment that it was most likely Usagi and the other girls until several guys came out of the shadows.

"Hang on a sec, is that...?" she started and Kenshin nodded. "Why the heck is Kiba here?"

"So that's what this loser's name is. Heh, probably wants payback for not making the cut to the kendo team. It must be humiliating for last year's captain to get beaten so easily by the new guy," Kenshin explained with a smirk, earning a growl from Kiba. "Aww, did I hit a nerve?"

"No way am I just gonna take getting cut lying down," Kiba said as he tapped a metal pipe on the blacktop. "After this there's no way you'll be able to be on the team either." Kiba bared his teeth as he stared at Minako. "And how is that bald bastard gonna let some weak girl on the team instead of me? We'll beat the both of you within an inch of your life to make sure you understand why I'm the best."

"Let's get one thing straight," Kenshin said, the mirth gone from his voice as he glared at Kiba's gang. "If even one of you tries to lay a hand on Minako I will make you regret the day you were born. If you're pissed off at me, fine; leave her out of this." Minako stared at Kenshin, unsure whether to be flattered or worried about the quick change in his attitude.

Kiba let out a battle cry and charged Kenshin on his own. With a single step Kenshin extended his right leg with incredible speed and strength, planting it directly in Kiba's gut. The winded jock tried to regain his composure until Kenshin pivoted, balancing Kiba on his foot as he brought him around in a full arc before slamming him onto the blacktop. Four more of the gang came at him but Kenshin easily deflected their punches, knocking the one at the back of the group off-balance before sending him flying over one of the divides with a throw. He spun around, whipping his arms around to strike two more in their necks. The remaining boy swung his bat but Kenshin flipped over him almost with no effort before slamming his open palm into his chest.

As the remaining members of the gang stared at their leader along with five others on the ground they decided it was in their best interests to run rather than take on Kenshin. As Kenshin turned to tell Minako they should be going Kiba jumped to his feet with the pipe drawn back and made for Minako. Before he could reach her, though, his right shoulder twisted back and there was a loud _pop_ along with an almost audible tearing. Kiba dropped to the ground as tears of pain streamed down his cheeks. "I told you that you'd regret it if you tried to drag her into this," Kenshin said coldly, walking past the jock. "The arm's not totally worthless now but good luck participating in sports with it." He turned to Minako, the cold expression gone from his face. "We should probably get going." The blonde teen nodded as they walked away, quickly glancing back at Kiba.

"Should we do something at least?" she asked as they turned the corner. "He's still sitting there. And did you really have to go that far?"

"His friends should come back for him before too long. And yes, I did," he answered, closing his eyes. "His beef had nothing to do with you so he had no right going after you like that. Besides, so long as he gets it taken care of his shoulder will be good as new in a couple months. I wasn't planning on crippling the guy."

"Well, that's better. I guess," Minako conceded as she nibbled on her thumb. "And thank you for protecting me. But it's not like I couldn't have held my own against him."

"I'm not doubting that but it's like I said: this was between me and him," Kenshin explained. "If his grudge had really been with both of us I would have gladly let you take him down." He looked over at her with a slight smirk. "Tell you what, next time something like this happens you can take a few of them down too. Sound fair?" Minako just laughed and shook her head.

When they reached her house they stopped to say their goodbyes. "Thank you again, Kenshin," Minako told him. "Except for that last bit I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Thank you for showing me around town," he replied. "Although I feel like I'm forgetting something." He scratched the back of his head for a second before shrugging. "Oh well. If it's important I'll remember it later. Good night, Minako."

Minako said good night as well and brought him into a hug, much to his chagrin. After a moment Kenshin finally relented and returned the sentiment. After a moment she eased the embrace and went to give him a peck on the cheek. Unfortunately Kenshin turned his head to say something and their lips met if only for a brief moment. They both quickly took a step back, both teens bright red as they tried to say something. Kenshin gave her a quick wave and made his way back to Urahara's shop while Minako went inside her house. With the door closed behind her she leaned against the door. _"Why is my chest pounding so hard? It was just a little slip up, wasn't it?"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

It was uneventful on the way back to Urahara's store and the straw-haired man was sitting at a table drinking tea when Kenshin opened the door. "Ah, I see that you had a good time tonight," the shopkeeper said as Kenshin walked past him. "So did you make a friend?"

"You know damn well that's not what I was sent here to do," Kenshin responded harshly as he picked up one of the candy dispensers. "Is that why you used an escape bomb? So that I'd try to play nice with these humans?"

"It can't hurt," Urahara said as Kenshin popped a small green candy in his mouth and swallowed. With a short pulse of energy his body fell to the ground and a man clad in a black shihakusho stood where Kenshin had. On his right hip was a katana with a crescent moon tsuba and a tsuka made with interwoven red and black fibers. A scarlet scarf was wrapped loosely over his shoulders and Kenshin's cold green eyes zeroed in on Urahara. "Seems the 11th Division finally rubbed off on you. You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to be a bit more like Ikkaku."

"What 3rd Seat Madarame does is his own business," the 4th seat of the 11th Division said as he adjusted his zanpakutō. "In the meantime have you heard from Captain Kurotsuchi?"

"Here's the details," the former head of Squad 12 replied as he handed a small stack of paper to the Shinigami. "Good hunting out there, Kenshin."


	3. Student by Day

Kenshin's internal clock woke him long before the alarm Urahara had given him and he sat up from his bed with a yawn. He went into his normal routine of doing a hundred sit-ups and pushups before grabbing a shower. It wasn't as intense as what he used to do back in Seireitei but he was limited in the World of the Living and he made do with it. As he exited the shower he started looking for his school uniform. Then he remembered what he had forgotten about last night.

"It's still at Minako's," he said with a grimace. "Great. Well, this is why I have a spare in my locker. This is gonna be awkward though." He then went about making a simple breakfast before starting to make his lunch. He was about halfway done when a knock at the door caught his attention. "Just a sec," he shouted. When he was sure that the food wouldn't burst into flame he ran to the door and slid it open.

"I thought that you might want this before school starts," Minako said, holding his uniform up. "I'm assuming you remember that you started washing it last night."

Kenshin accepted the clothes as tears of gratitude ran down his face. "You're a lifesaver, you know that?" he said. "Wait a sec. These are still warm. Did you...?"

"Yeah, I skipped breakfast to make sure you didn't come to school naked," she answered with a nervous smile. "I may have also forgotten to pack my lunch too so I gotta run."

"Hang on." Minako stopped as she was walking away and turned to look at Kenshin. "I made a little too much breakfast and I'm in the middle of making lunch. Why don't you come in and grab a bite to eat and I'll make a boxed lunch for you too?"

"Really?" she asked as her face brightened. "Wow! Thank you so much!" As she followed Kenshin into the store she looked around at what was on the various shelves. "Umm, what exactly is 'Soul Candy'?"

"From what Urahara tells me it's an herbal candy that's supposed to revitalize the spirit," Kenshin said as he prepared a bowl of rice for Minako. "How do you like your eggs?" She gave him a quick response and he went about finishing up the meal. After she sat down she thanked him for the meal before digging in. After a few minutes he turned back to her. "Can you grab the bento boxes from the top shelf for me?" he asked to which she nodded.

"Are you sure these are the right size?" she asked, showing him the large boxes and he just nodded. "How are you going to eat...?" She stopped midsentence and shook her head. "Never mind. I've seen you eat and this doesn't even compare to two Gargantuans."

"That was a rare exception," Kenshin reminded her as she handed the boxes to him. "But I stay active enough that I need the extra calories." He quickly filled up the boxes to the absolute brim and topped it off by using the remaining rice to make rice balls. Once he was changed the two of them headed out.

The day went by without incident until lunch where Kenshin had chosen a place under a tree to read up on the reports that Captain Kurotsuchi had sent back to him. The head of the Science Division had gotten his hands on the soul that should have been claimed by Hell and was running tests on him to see why he hadn't been but so far he hadn't found anything conclusive.

"So you're not even going to invite me to join you for lunch?" a sweet voice asked him, forcing him to look up from the report. Minako was only a few feet from him and smiling brightly at him. "Then I'm left with no choice but to include you with us."

Kenshin just stared at her blankly, trying to figure out what she meant until she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him over to the table where the other girls were sitting. "Warn me before you do that!" he said as she sat him down and then sat down across from him. He looked at the other girls briefly before turning back to Minako. "So are you going to do introductions or something?"

"We're in homeroom with you!" the other girls said in unison but Kenshin just stared at them with a blank expression.

"I'd hope you'd at least remember me," Rei said with a huff as she returned to her lunch. "Seriously, how do you not remember us?"

"It's only been a week since classes started," Kenshin replied as he opened his lunch. "That and I suck with names, so there."

"Are you going to be able to finish all that before lunch ends?" Usagi asked as she eyed his massive lunch. "Same goes for you, Minako. You must be pretty confident in your cooking now if you made that much."

"Well I didn't-" Minako started before Makoto snatched her lunch away. "Hey!"

"I need to see how you measure up compared to my cooking," the brunette said matter-of-factly as she popped a dumpling in her mouth. Two chews in and her face froze, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear.

"That bad, huh?" Rei said as Makoto swallowed.

"It's...it's," she stuttered nervously before dropping her head in defeat. "Her cooking is better than mine now."

"I think we all need to confirm this," Usagi piped in as she pulled the box from Makoto despite Minako's complaints. As the girls passed the bento box around they had various comments, all praising "Minako's" cooking skill. As Minako wrestled Rei for her lunch back Usagi opened the box the rice balls were in and passed them around.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Minako cried. "And I'm not the one who made it either!"

"Well there's no way you have a store-bought lunch this good. I don't even think they make them that big," Makoto said as Minako's lunch made its way back to her.

"They don't," Kenshin said between bites. "Trust me, I've looked."

While the other girls bickered Usagi snuck a peak at Kenshin's lunch before he snapped at her with his chopsticks. "Hang on a sec. Your lunch is the same as Minako's," she realized as the girls turned to her, affording Minako her chance to rescue what was left of her own lunch. "And if she didn't make hers then..."

"I happen to be very proud of my cooking, thank you very much," Kenshin replied as he opened the spare box of rice balls and placed them between himself and Minako. She thanked him and started eating one while the other girls glanced between the two of them several times.

"Are you two dating?" Makoto finally asked only to be answered with a spit take of rice from Minako.

"It's...a bit more complicated than that," Kenshin answered while trying not to choke on the food he'd been swallowing. "I'd prefer to leave it at that if you don't mind."

Despite the awkward silence afterward Kenshin did his best to mingle with the girls until the bell for the next class rang and they went their separate ways. Classes came and went until the last bell rang and they all headed for their respective after school clubs.

Minako adjusted her kendo uniform to make sure that it matched the directions on the locker room poster. It felt too loose to her but that was supposedly correct so she grabbed a bamboo sword off the rack and made her way into the practice room.

"Based on yesterday's tryouts I only have two positions to assign," Ikkaku said as he looked over his club members. "As you may have guessed Kenshin will be your Captain from here out, we clear?" The class gave a quiet affirmative only to have Ikkaku slam his wooden sword into one of the practice dummies. "I can't hear you!"

"Yes, Madarame-sensei!" the class shouted in relative unison. The bald instructor smirked and nodded his approval.

"Your vice-captain will be Minako Aino since she was the only one that managed to dodge Kenshin's attack," he continued. "The rest of you will strive to be half as good as these two, got it?" They shouted their affirmative again. "Alright then. To get warmed up we'll start with two hundred swings."

By the time the day was over Minako couldn't feel the majority of her upper body and her bag felt like it was filled with bricks. As she trudged home Kenshin held his hand out and Minako quickly handed him her bag. "How are you not exhausted?" she asked him.

"I've been doing martial arts since I could pretty much walk," he told her, "so being pushed past my normal limits is something I'm used to. Trust me, in a month or so you'll look back at this and wish for it."

"You're not helping," she muttered. "I guess that also explains how you took down Kiba last night." Her face turned crimson as she remembered how that night had ended. "So what kind of martial arts did you study?"

"Mostly Chinese Kenpō and Judo but I did take a few Muay Thai boxing lessons too," he said, looking into the sky as he tried to remember his training. "A few years ago I started experimenting with combining the kenpō and judo with the occasional boxing move thrown in to keep it interesting. My judo teacher even started calling it 'Suzaku Style'." He chuckled as he shook his head. "I don't like the name much but it kinda stuck." There was an awkward silence before Kenshin decided to bite the bullet. "About how last night ended..."

"I'm really sorry," Minako apologized quickly, stopping to bow and emphasize her point. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot and-"

"It's alright, really," Kenshin said quickly, trying to hide his own embarrassment. "I was actually trying to ask you about something when you went for my cheek so I should be the one apologizing. That and I, umm, I've never actually kissed a girl."

"Yeah, me neither," Minako admitted. When Kenshin didn't answer she looked over at him to see blood dripping from his nose. "That's not what I meant, you pervert!" Despite how heavy her arms felt she gathered enough strength to karate chop Kenshin, bringing him to the ground in one swing. "Geez, is it too much to ask that even one guy doesn't think like that?"

"If you have enough strength to chop me might I suggest carrying your own bag?" Kenshin asked, his voice muffled by the ground. He held his arm up only to have Minako pulling him up to his feet. "I'm guessing you're feeling better now?"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't _too_ hurt," she replied matter-of-factly as she turned and kept walking, leaving Kenshin with her bag. She stopped after a few steps and turned back to him. "I never really did thank you for making lunch, did I?"

"In all fairness I think your friends ate most of yours," Kenshin admitted as they both started walking again. "Well, not counting the bits Makoto had to pick out of her hair too." A smile crept onto his face as they neared Urahara's store. "Still, they seem like an interesting bunch."

"That's one way to put it." They stopped in front of the shop and Kenshin handed Minako her bag back. "Umm, you said that there was something you had wanted to ask me last night."

"Oh, right. Almost forgot," Kenshin said with a snap of his fingers. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the amusement park this weekend."

"Like...a date?"

A silence hung in the air as Kenshin measured his words carefully. "How about we see how the day goes before calling it that?" he offered finally and Minako nodded, her face beaming. She kept on heading towards her house with a wave to Kenshin as he headed into the store.

"Not a damn word, Urahara," he said as he closed the door behind him. The former shinigami was seated at the table drinking his tea, a smug smile on his face. "The only reason that I'm going along with this idea of yours is because Captain Kenpachi told me to and that's it."

"Using the date as cover for investigating the amusement park isn't a bad plan," Urahara commented as Kenshin put his things in his room. "So how are you planning to work without drawing suspicion?"

"I'll send the gikon in with her while I check the place over," Kenshin said, sitting down at the table and taking the tea Urahara offered. "It would also seem that the other objective is moving along smoother than anticipated. She introduced me to her friends today and they seem to accept my cover at face value."

"So what do you think?"

Kenshin took a long sip of tea before answering, "These so-called 'Sailor Guardians' aren't really all that impressive. The only one that seems to have any real power is Sailor Moon seeing that she purified a Hollow of its human sins. Their reiatsu isn't even on the same level as most unranked shinigami." He took another sip of tea. "This idea of infiltrating their ranks is pointless. Whatever is going on in this city has nothing to do with them. They're just in the way."

"I see," was the only thing Urahara said as he stood up and began taking inventory of the store. After a few moments he added, "You should know better than anyone that underestimating them would be a serious mistake. Consider what we've heard of their accomplishments."

"Of Sailor Moon's accomplishments."

"They're one in the same. Her strength is dependent on her friends. What do you think she'd be without them?" Kenshin thought the point over for a moment or two before ceding the point. "My advice is to spend the time at the park with Minako. If there's something else going on there you'll pick up on it easily."

* * *

The week wore on and the closer the weekend came the more excited Minako was. On her insistence Kenshin joined the girls for lunch each day unless he was off running errands for the teachers. During kendo Ikkaku made their lives miserable, leaving the other girls wondering if Minako would have enough energy for her Guardian duties. Despite their worrying the city had been fairly quiet since the first Hollow attack and the girls figured that enjoying the peace was worthwhile.

Friday came and Minako awoke bubbling with excitement. It was taking everything she had to not give away her excitement to her friends. She had no intention of telling them that he'd invited her to the park since she knew that they'd insist on coming with if for no other reason than to eavesdrop on the two of them. Yet despite her excitement she couldn't fight the feeling of complete exhaustion she'd had since she and Kenshin had gone to the movies. Each day it got progressively worse but near as she could tell it was just the intense kendo training Ikkaku had been putting them through every day and her body just hadn't recovered yet.

She met Kenshin on the way to school and they walked together like they had every day. As a treat he'd made her lunch again for which she was very grateful. By the time lunch rolled around Kenshin's mood had fallen and he was just barely poking his bento.

"What's wrong, Kenshin?" Usagi asked, sneaking one of his dumplings when he wasn't looking.

"We have our first day of P.E. today," he replied with a sigh.

"Big deal," Makoto said, unsure of what the problem was. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Ikkaku Madarame is the new teacher," Kenshin told her, looking over at Minako as he did. The blonde dropped her chopsticks as her eyes widened.

"We're gonna die, aren't we?" she asked and Kenshin nodded.

"This is the guy that runs the kendo club, isn't it?" Rei asked suddenly nervous. Both Kenshin and Minako nodded. "Just how bad can it be?"

"Not really a question you want to ask about Madarame-sensei," Minako said as she poked at her lunch sullenly, a mirror image of Kenshin. The other girls looked at each, worried both about their friends and what awaited them in gym.

As the last period rolled around Ikkaku had them meet him at the track where he was speaking with an attractive male in a dress shirt and slacks. His black hair came down to his jawline and a braid down the right side of his head. Brightly colored feathers flared out at his ears, matching the eyelash extensions he wore as well.

"Yumichika Ayasegawa," Kenshin said when Minako asked about him. The other girls, Ami excluded, were too busy being mesmerized by his looks to ask about him. "All I know about the guy is that he's the superintendent's new assistant. Not sure what he wants with Madarame-sensei though."

As Ikkaku's class assembled Yumichika took a step back and smiled, obviously enjoying the attention being paid to him. Once Ikkaku was sure that everyone was there and changed into their gym clothes he started. "For those of you that don't know I'm Ikkaku Madarame, your new P.E. teacher. And since everyone seems ready to get started we'll warm up with ten laps around the track."

"Ten laps?!" Usagi complained before Kenshin and Minako clamped their hands around her mouth.

"Since Tsukino there doesn't think it's enough let's up it to twenty laps in thirty minutes," Ikkaku said with an almost evil smirk. "For every lap you don't finish it's a hundred pushups." The class, minus Kenshin, stared at him in shock while the new kid immediately started running, knowing Ikkaku well enough to know he wasn't joking. Taking the hint the others quickly filed behind him.

"It looks like he's fitting in well enough here," Yumichika noted as he watched Kenshin. "He seems to be enjoying it despite the fact that the Captain had to order him to do it."

"That might be how it looks but he still resents it," Ikkaku told him. "The kid's a decent actor though. Heh, maybe this way I can actually teach him a thing or two about swordsmanship and have him listen for once."

Yumichika smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "I somehow doubt that."

On the track Makoto had worked her way through the others until she was tailing Kenshin. Ami had quickly pointed out that they needed to run no more than minute-and-a-half laps in order to meet Ikkaku's order. Usagi and Rei were in the middle of the pack with Ami not far behind them. Minako, though, was at the very back struggling to keep up.

 _"What does this guy do that he's so freaking fast?"_ Makoto thought to herself as she lengthened her stride. Almost as if he was tuned into her thoughts Kenshin did the same thing and widened the gap between them. It didn't take long before they started lapping members of their class and halfway through they'd lapped everyone at least twice. When they finished the last lap Makoto collapsed onto the grass, gasping for breath, while Kenshin kept going. "No...freaking...way," she panted.

After a bit the others of the class dropped into the grass next to her, all gasping as though their lives depended on it. There were only a few stragglers left, including Minako, plus Kenshin who was at it like he was still warming up. Minako, on the other hand, was running on fumes as she finished her sixteenth lap. It took everything she had to keep moving and at the rate she was going she wouldn't make Ikkaku's deadline. At the 200-meter mark she tripped on her foot and started face-first into the ground.

 _"I can't...give up,"_ she thought, trying to catch herself but her arms refusing to move. At the last second something pulled her up back onto her feet and she felt a surge of energy rush though her.

"C'mon, just a few more to go," Kenshin said, sweat running down his face. Minako nodded, too tired to speak, and kept pace with Kenshin who had slowed down for her. They crossed the finish line together and Minako all but passed out on the ground, not even making it to the grass.

"You should have left her behind, Suzaku," Ikkaku said, a hard edge to his voice. "The weak need to be left behind so that they don't hold the strong back."

"No offense, sir, but that's a load of crap," Kenshin shot back, drawing all eyes to him. "It's the duty of the strong to help the weak."

"Is that so?" Ikkaku's fist was shaking from how tightly it was clenched. "Well then since Aino finished a minute late you can take her pushups. After all, if she wasn't strong enough to finish on her own then I doubt she can do these."

"Hang on," Minako started but Kenshin shook his head before dropping down and starting the pushups. Minako dropped next to him and started in on them as well.

"What are you doing, Aino?" Ikkaku asked, genuinely curious.

"Kenshin shouldn't...be blamed...for my...weakness," she replied between sets. "If he's doing them...then so should I."

Yumichika couldn't help but give a slight smile. "The girl's got spirit," he admitted.

Despite her brave front Minako quickly realized she may have bitten off more than she could chew. She was halfway through but now her arms were trembling and her vision was fading in and out. She slowly lowered herself and as she was pushing back up everything went black.

* * *

As she started to come Minako could feel something cold and wet on her forehead. Her eyes gradually opened as she realized that she was in the nurse's office. Just off to her side she saw Kenshin with his head nestled in his arms, fast asleep and snoring loudly. "Ken...Kenshin?" she said weakly and the boy's eyes shot open.

"Minako! You're awake!" he said, relief washing over him. Before he could say anything else the other girls pushed him off his chair and onto the floor with a loud _thud!_ as they gathered around their friend.

"What happened?" Minako asked weakly.

"The nurse said it was heat exhaustion," Ami explained. "That combined with the stress your body's been under with the kendo training made you collapse in the middle of your pushups. How do you feel now?"

"Still tired," she admitted with a yawn. "I don't really feel all that different than after running those laps."

"The nurse did say it would probably take you a few days to fully recover," Kenshin added, picking himself up off the ground. "I offered to watch over you for the weekend since I live the closest but I was outvoted on that." He shot a somewhat-serious glare at the girls who just glared right back.

"Thanks you, guys," Minako said with a smile. "What about kendo today?"

"Madarame-sensei was feeling generous and only gave us two hundred overhead strikes as punishment for missing today," Kenshin told her.

When Minako asked what he meant Rei stepped in. "Kenshin didn't even wait for the okay from Mr. Madarame," she said. "He just picked you up and bolted here as fast as he could. He hasn't left your side this whole time."

"Yeah, Mr. Madarame and that pretty guy he was talking with both stopped by to see how you were doing," Makoto added. She was also staring at Kenshin, unsure of how she should feel about the guy who had repeatedly helped one of her best friends.

Ami left briefly while they made light conversation and returned with Minako's bag. "No, I've got this," she insisted as Minako reached for it. "The nurse wants you to take it easy this weekend and that means we get to dote on you."

"I'm not an invalid," Minako complained as she got out of the bed. As she put weight on her legs her vision started spinning and she was poised for a faceplant until Kenshin caught her on his back. He wrapped her arms across his collar and held her up by the backs of her knees.

"That's the second time I've saved you from a broken nose today," he commented as she rested her chin on his shoulder. The six of them headed out of the school as they took their time on their way to Minako's. The sick blonde looked at the crimson sky, surprised by how late it was. "None of us were about to abandon you," Kenshin explained when she pointed this out. "Besides, this is pretty much my fault." The girls looked at him, surprised by his admission. "If I'd done like Madarame-sensei had said then you wouldn't have passed out pushing yourself."

"But she still would have had to do the pushups as punishment for not finishing on time," Rei pointed out but Kenshin shook his head.

"Madarame-sensei can be a hardass but he's not a bad guy. Besides, he never said that those pushups had to be done right after running." Usagi offered to take over carrying Minako but Kenshin shook his head once more, commenting that she was pretty light and earning a scoff from Rei. When Minako didn't react Kenshin turned his head to see that her breathing had become labored and she was sweating profusely.

"We really need to get her to a hospital," Ami suggested.

"Something tells me they won't be able to help," Kenshin said as he narrowed his eyes. "Whatever this is it isn't heat-related. There's something seriously wrong here." When asked what he meant he replied, "It's not something I can really explain but I know someone who specializes in this kind of thing. C'mon. He's not far from here." With that he started sprinting with the other girls hot on his heels.

Urahara greeted them at the entrance to the store, his jovial expression wiped away when he saw Minako's condition. He invited them in and had Kenshin lay her down on one of the futons. "Kenshin was right that this isn't heat related," he said, stroking his chin as he thought. "Someone, or something, is interrupting the flow of her chi." He ignored the girls' questions as he wrote a quick list. "Kenshin, I need you to make a quick run for these things. Everything else we need I have here in the store." Kenshin nodded and bolted out the door, eliciting a yell from Makoto as she tailed him while Urahara turned to the other girls. "I'll need the rest of you to help me get everything set up. It may look strange but you'll have to trust me on this." They nodded and followed the instructions he gave them.

* * *

Makoto slid past her turn as she tried to keep an eye on Kenshin. He had chosen to free-run rather than follow the streets which in turn led him to leap across large gaps between some of the houses as if they were nothing. _"This guy is something else,"_ she thought to herself. _"Just where did he learn to move like this? There's no way a normal human should be like this. Is it possible...?"_ She let the thought trail off as she shook her head, nearly running face-first into a wall. She didn't like the idea of him being a youma or being possessed by one but it wouldn't be the first time that it had happened to one of their friends. Still, feigning concern over Minako's condition while being the one causing it was a pretty good cover. "I'll figure you out, boy." She grit her teeth as she said this. "And if I find out that you're using her it'll be the last thing you ever do."

She came to a stop at the closest shop near Urahara's, panting to try and catch her breath. She was fairly sure Kenshin had come here but she'd lost sight of him for several minutes. Her belief was validated when he came out with a bagful of supplies. "Makoto?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "When did you get here?"

"I just... How did you...get here so fast?" she asked still panting.

"Not really important," he answered as he ran past her. "What _is_ important is that we get these things back to Urahara ASAP. You gonna be able to keep up?"

"Maybe if you don't go jumping off roofs I can," she said as she started keeping pace with him, well aware that he was holding back for her sake. To show this she put on the speed, overtaking him by several steps. "My friend's life is at stake. We don't have time for you to take it easy."

"Well, you did say no jumping from roof to roof," he replied, appearing next to her with apparent ease. "But if you're having problems keeping up then..." With one movement he swept her off her feet and onto his shoulder before leaping to the top of the wall and onto the nearby rooftop.

"PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Makoto screamed into his ear, both surprised and furious at the same time.

"You sure about that?" he asked, humor devoid from his voice as he vaulted from the roof. "I can honestly move faster without you but I'm not too sure you'd like the fall." She glared at him only to have him return it, sending a chill down her spine. There was something in his eyes that truly frightened her but she didn't know what it was. She decided it was better if she kept her complaints to herself and be glad she'd also worn a long skirt to school that day.

When they landed outside Urahara's Kenshin put Makoto on her feet and they both ran in. Usagi, Ami and Rei were all passed out around Minako but before the tall brunette could comment she fell to the ground unconscious. "You picked up on that quicker than I expected," Urahara admitted, kneeling next to Minako. "How long did it take you to realize what I was up to?"

"Why do you think I brought Minako here?" Kenshin responded. "Something's been gradually draining her reiryoku over the last few days. The way I see it you can use healing Kidō to reestablish her body's normal balance." He looked Minako over to see that her condition hadn't changed. "I'm guessing that didn't work."

"I was able to slow the flow down quite a bit but she's already lost a large portion of her reiryoku." Urahara rubbed his chin. "Your Tanma Otoshi is impressive, by the way. When did you use it on her?"

"I pretty much carried her back here," Kenshin said as he pulled out his gikon and swallowed the sphere, separating his shinigami form from his gigai. "It was easy to get her with it and set it up on a timer." He turned to his gigai which stood at attention. "You and Urahara get some beds out for them and call their families. Make sure they understand that they're here of their own free will to make sure their friend's okay."

"Sir yes sir!" the artificial soul barked, saluting Kenshin who replied with a sigh.

"It won't be easy to track this thing," Urahara said as Kenshin headed for the door. "It's gone to great lengths to hide itself."

The shinigami tightly gripped his saya as he stood in the doorway. "Then finding and cutting this thing down will be that much more satisfying." He gave the former Captain a feral grin. "I'll show this bastard what happens when you screw with the 11th Division."


	4. God of Death by Night

"Are you sure they're this way?" Artemis asked Luna as they ran through across the divides.

"Absolutely," the black cat replied. "Based on what Usagi's mother said they were staying with a friend of theirs while Minako regained her strength. After that it's just a matter of sensing out their energy."

"That doesn't explain why I can't sense Minako anymore," Artemis said as he stopped to catch his breath. "I just thought that she's been tired from practice lately. If something's happened to her...!" He stopped when Kenshin blasted past them, quick enough that they couldn't see his face but not enough to go unnoticed. "Holy...! Who was that?"

Luna squinted her eyes as she looked at Kenshin's back, trying to place the outfit. "No, it can't be!" she cried as it hit her. "That was a shinigami!"

"What're they doing here?" Artemis asked as he shivered. "And why didn't we know about this?"

Luna hesitated, debating whether to follow Kenshin or to keep to their original destination. "We'll just have to ask later," she said finally, running the opposite direction of Kenshin. "Come on, we're not too far now."

When the cats arrived the girls were all gathered around Minako sound asleep. "You've got to be kidding me," Artemis mumbled as he shook his head. "Of all the times for them to be out of it this is _not_ one of them." A noise in the other room grabbed their attention as Urahara walked out.

"Well, well. Looks like we've got a couple of hungry kitties," he said, kneeling down and stroking their heads. They both responded by purring with the occasional mewl. "I never could say 'no' to cats. Let me get you two some milk." He returned after a few moments with a large bowl of milk and set it down in front of them. Another cat, a large black male, joined them as they cautiously lapped.

"We need to get the girls up," Artemis said quiet enough so Urahara wouldn't overhear him. "This is no time to be drinking milk and sleeping."

"Will you shut up?" Luna replied, motioning to the other cat. "It's not like they can do anything while that man is here, anyway. We need to come up with a plan."

"So...you can talk too." Luna and Artemis stared at each other before slowly turning to the other cat who was still lapping up milk.

"Did you...just talk?" Luna asked.

"The talking cat is asking another talking cat if it talked?" he redundantly asked. "Really now. I would expect others like me to be a little more open-minded." He took a few more laps of milk before raising his head. "The man that owns this store calls me Yoruichi." Luna and Artemis quickly introduced themselves while watching for Urahara. "You're worried about Urahara? I wouldn't be. He's a nice enough guy. He's even helping out your friends."

"We need to wake them up right now," Luna said. "I really wish I could say more but..."

"I get it. Seeing as how we just met we can't be expected to trust each other so quickly." Yoruichi led them over to the girls where they could also see Kenshin's gigai propped against the wall fast asleep. As the girls started to wake Yoruichi disappeared but not before Luna and Artemis could thank him.

"You girls picked a fine time to fall asleep," Luna chastised them quietly. "Now hurry up and transform. We ran into a shinigami on the way here which means that something big is afoot."

"I don't even remember falling asleep," Usagi commented as she looked around, only vaguely hearing Luna's order. "We helped Urahara get Minako settled and then..."

"I know what you mean," Makoto added, rubbing her head. "One minute I'm walking in with Kenshin and then nothing. I know I wasn't that tired."

"Well whatever Urahara tried to do didn't work. Minako's worse than before," Ami said as she put her hand on the blonde's head. She pulled out the glasses the cats had given them and gave Minako a once over. "I can see her energy but it's fading fast." She looked around before running out the door. "Everyone! There's a trail of energy leading we can follow!"

"Shouldn't one of us stay here with Minako?" Rei asked as her transformation into Sailor Mars faded away. "Or better yet, Sailor Moon, why not use Moon Healing?"

Usagi nodded as she struck the pose and called out, "Moon Healing Escalation!" As the light washed over Minako her body began to glow. For a brief moment she looked better but before long she reverted back. "But I don't understand," the bun-headed blonde said as she looked at the Eternal Tiare. "Every other time a youma's drained someone's energy that's worked."

"Maybe it's not a youma. It could be one of those Hollows we encountered," Rei offered as some form of consolation for both of them. "Sorry, Sailor Moon. I really thought that might work."

"It's not your fault, Mars. I was hoping it would too." With another admonition from Luna the girls left as quietly as possible to follow the energy trail Ami had picked up before.

Back in the store Kenshin's gigai ended his feigned sleep as Urahara came out of the back room with Yoruichi perched on his shoulder. "Are you sure that we shouldn't interfere, sir?" the artificial soul asked. "I know that Master won't be pleased if those Guardians interfere in his hunt."

"He already has a significant head start on those girls," Yoruichi replied for Urahara. "As long as he hasn't been slacking off in his training he should have already tracked it down." He glanced at the gikon who seemed rather anxious before shifting his gaze over to Urahara. "Considering the situation wouldn't it have been easier to just tell them? They'll figure it out eventually anyway."

"Would the Kenshin you know just run off for the sake of some girl he was using to gather information?" he asked simply, staring the cat in the eye. Yoruichi huffed before he started cleaning his paws. "Besides, I think that he genuinely has fun with them, at least when he's not working. I have no intention of taking that from him, not unless we have no choice."

* * *

Kenshin landed on the roof of the school and took a moment to take his surroundings in. He'd followed the reiryoku trail all over the ward before winding up at the school. The mix of different reiryoku in the school was slight enough that it was near impossible to pick up unless one was looking for it. In that mix he could sense Minako's but the thief had also dispersed the energy throughout the entire school to mask itself. _"I just need to focus on where they all meet,"_ he thought to himself as he strained his senses to filter out the rest of the energy. As he was focusing he picked up on four others that were rapidly approaching the school. He prepared himself to deal with the intruders when he felt a familiar tug. _"There!"_

He stepped off the ledge, stopping in the air outside the classroom that was closest to Minako's reiryoku. He opened and stepped through the window and walked out into the hall. It took him a short time walking through the school to track the energy to the art studio. Before entering he quickly wrapped his head with the scarf so that while his identity was hidden he could still see. Then with one hand on his zanpakutō he opened the door.

"Who's there?" a young male voice said as the door closed behind Kenshin. There were no lights on in the room and no windows. Even though he couldn't see in the pitch darkness Kenshin could now physically feel the concentration of reiryoku and tell that it was attached to something human…or at least very close. The voice repeated its question and Kenshin ignored it once more, prompting it to attack him. The right hook was significantly weaker than the left and it caused the human to groan in pain.

"I should have known," Kenshin scoffed as he grabbed the boy by his shirt collar. "I don't know how you did it, Kiba, but my suggestion would be to willingly release the energy you've stolen. If not..." His left hand pushed his zanpakutō out of its saya, enough to tell Kiba of the consequences.

"No way I'm doing that!" the boy snarled and Kenshin felt a curtain of reiatsu fall over him. "I don't know who or what you are but there's no way I'm giving up all this power, especially not from that Minako girl. There's so much power there it feels like it'll never end."

"Last warning."

"Screw you."

Kenshin smirked as blue flames gathered around the hand holding Kiba up. "Have it your way. Hadō #33 – Sōkatsui!"

As the Sailor Guardians came upon their school a torrent of blue flame ripped through one of the upper floors. The girls braced themselves as a powerful wind whipped past them and a smoldering figure crashed into the ground.

"That shinigami must have gotten here before us!" Rei said just as Kenshin touched down. "Is that the guy you saw, Luna?"

"We never saw his face but it's a good bet," the cat said. "Can you see who he's fighting?"

"One second," Ami said as her visor appeared over her eyes. After a moment the lights stopped flashing and she gasped. "That's Kiba Ikaragi! He was in our class last year." Her brow furrowed as the other readings came in. "If this is reading him correctly then he's possessed by a youma. Somehow he must have come in contact with Minako and latched his energy onto her; it's the only way he'd be able to absorb her energy from this far."

"Damn you!" Kiba snarled as his burnt flesh started to regenerate. "I don't know who you think you are but you won't live long enough to regret that!"

"Why do all these idiots have to be so damned clichéd?" Kenshin muttered to himself as he pointed two fingers at the charging Kiba. "Bakudō #1 – Sai!" Kiba's arms twisted painfully to his back and he collapsed on the ground as the binding spell pinned him down. "I'd say I'm disappointed but you are, after all, just a weak human. And if there's one thing I can't stand it's weaklings." His pointed fingers turned into an open palm as a sphere of red energy formed. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"

"GRAHH!" Kiba roared as a hole opened in the middle of his chest. White matter exploded from his mouth and eyes and wrapped around his head as his body twisted and contorted around the binding spell still in effect.

 _"He Hollowfied? While he was still alive? Just what the hell is going on here?"_ Kenshin thought to himself as the spell was broken by the newly-formed Hollow's superior strength. A stream of steam escaped its jaws as it flexed all four of its arms. The body had markings all across it and the mask had several small horns around the edge. "Inferno and pandemonium," Kenshin continued, able to feel that - though now much stronger than before - Kiba still didn't stand a chance, "the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #31 – Shakkahō!"

A sphere the size of Kenshin's head shot out from his hand fast enough that it was barely visible to the naked eye until the Hollow grabbed it with all four hands. "What incredible energy," it said as the kidō spell was absorbed into its arms. "Why don't you have a taste of it?!" It opened its jaws and the spell shot back at Kenshin who simply adjusted his stance and the blast soared past him. When it hit the ground an explosion of heat and flame washed over the schoolyard. The Guardians were lifted off their feet from the concussion of the impact but Kenshin remained unfazed by it.

"That little trick of yours would be neat if your aim was worth a damn," Kenshin admitted. "So kidō doesn't work. That's fine by me."

"No you don't!" The Hollow opened its jaws once more and a swirl of crimson energy began to form in its mouth. Kenshin's eyes widened, realizing what attack the Hollow was planning to use. His hand dropped to his zankpakutō, tensing at the Cero's signature screech. "DIE!" the Hollow screamed as energy poured from its jaws. As it aimed at the shinigami he vanished for a brief second, ending up behind the Hollow with his sword drawn.

The energy for the Cero vanished as quickly as it had formed, leaving the the Sailor Gaurdians somewhat confused. "Did anyone see him move?" The other girls shook their heads as the Hollow began to separate vertically.

"The fact that I had to bloody my blade on an opponent as weak as you is just shameful," Kenshin said as a spray of blood went up from the Hollow. "Pathetic." He performed a quick chiburui, scattering the blood across the ground, before sheathing it. As the blade locked into the saya the Hollow erupted into a shower of blood and body parts before disintegrating. Once the body was gone a black butterfly floated past Kenshin and into the night sky on its way to Soul Society.

"How...how did he do that?" Makoto asked, her hand across her mouth. "We need to catch this guy before he—" Before she could finish Kenshin vanished, knowing that Minako's reiryoku would make its way back to her naturally now. "He did it again!"

"Shouldn't we do something about the school?" Ami asked but the others were already running back towards Urahara's. "Hey! Don't leave me behind!"

Once outside the shop the girls reverted back to their civilian identities and quietly entered the shop. Kenshin was back in his gigai and feigning sleep like the gikon had been. When Makoto stepped on a creaky floorboard, earning glares from her friends, he stirred to look at them tiredly. "Oh, it's just you girls," he commented as he started to close his eyes again.

"Sorry, we didn't realize we'd dozed off," Usagi apologized. "We really should be going before we become a nuisance."

Kenshin glanced at the clock on the wall and then at Usagi. "It's almost one in the morning," he told her. "Besides, Urahara and I already called your parents to let them know what was going on." The girls' eyes widened in surprise. "The bed in the guest room is free if you want it. We also set out some futons for you to use."

"So where will you sleep?"

"I'm good here," Kenshin replied, shifting his position slightly. "Besides, the only rooms are Urahara's and the guest room." When Usagi started to ask about it he just nodded. "Yeah, the four of you are claiming my room for the night. I'll be out here keeping an eye on Minako in case something happens." Knowing that arguing with him would be futile the girls said their goodnights and headed into Kenshin's room.

It was sparsely decorated but what was there were several pictures and some posters. One of the pictures was of Kenshin with a man and woman in their forties. "He looks happy," Usagi mentioned as she picked the frame up. Next to it was another with him and a red-haired man who had tattoos crawling all the way up his forehead. "And what's with this guy? It's like his eyebrows are trying to take over his face."

"That's interesting and all but what about these pajamas?" Rei asked as she quickly changed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like not sleeping in my school clothes but who has this many girls pajamas just laying around?"

"At least they got your sizes right," Makoto complained as she pulled the top on. The pants stopped several inches above her ankles and the top left her midsection bare. "Seriously, if it wouldn't make things weird I'd just be sleeping..." Makoto bit her tongue at the last second but it was too late. The other girls were now staring at her curiously, trying to figure out not only how Makoto was planning on sleeping but why it was causing her to turn bright red. "Umm, uh," she stammered nervously. "Good night!" She dove under the covers of the bed as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"You always manage to surprise me, Mako," Ami said with a wide smile as she laid down on the futon. Within minutes all the girls were fast asleep; Ami and Rei on the futons, Makoto and Usagi sleeping at opposite ends of the bed. Luna was curled up next to Usagi while Artemis laid on Minako's lap.

And for the first time that day things were quiet and peaceful.


	5. Recovery of Body & Soul

"Goo—d morni—ng, Kenshin," a sing-song voice cooed over the bed, stirring Makoto from her sleep. Still half-asleep she rolled over to firmly plant her face in something warm and soft. "Ohohoh, being a little forward today, aren't you?"

 _"What the...? What do I have my face in?"_ Makoto thought to herself as she opened her eyes and backed her head up. In front of her was a dark-skinned woman with violet hair pulled into a ponytail and a large smile on her face as she bent over the bed.

She was also completely naked.

"Oh, so that's what those were," Makoto said groggily as she turned back to her side and closed her eyes again. It only took a moment before she shot up out of the bed fully awake. "Hang on a sec! Why the hell are you naked?!"

"Now I see. He's got a pretty girl sleeping in his bed and two on the floor," the woman said slyly, seemingly ignoring Makoto's outburst. A stirring at the other end of the bed had Usagi sticking her head out of the covers. "Two in the bed at the same time? Kenshin you naughty boy. Guess we're gonna have to get him a bigger bed."

"I SAID WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NAKED?!"

"Will you shut up, Mako?" Rei muttered as she sat up, planting her face in the naked woman's buttock and eliciting an excited giggle. "W-w-what the hell?!"

"Why are you two being so damn loud this early in the morning?" Kenshin asked as he slid the door open. When he saw the naked woman leaning over his bed he blinked several times before saying, "Oh, it's just you, Yoruichi. When did you get in?"

"Don't you know how to knock?! And why is she naked in your room expecting you?! And why aren't you even a little bit surprised?!" Makoto fired off as her face turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"Hmm?" Yoruichi looked down before tilting her head and smiling. "I guess I am naked. Sorry, just a habit of mine."

Usagi and Ami were now awake, much to the blonde's disappointment, and were arriving in the middle of quite the scene. As they started to shout their own questions Kenshin just stared at the lot of them, trying to determine whether he wanted to get involved at all. His decision was made when Makoto tossed one of his textbooks at him, hitting him square in the face with the spine.

Fifteen minutes later – when everything was calm once more – the five of them sat around a small table. The girls were still bright red after their encounter with Yoruichi while Kenshin had a large bandage across his nose. "I still don't know why I got hit," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You don't just walk into a girl's room uninvited," Makoto told him as she mixed cream and sugar into hers.

"It's my room."

"But we were in there," Rei pointed out as she and Ami drank their tea.

"Let me restate my point here: Why was _I_ the one getting hit?" he asked again, adding emphasis to try and make his point clear. " _I'm_ not the one who wandered in naked nor the one that put their face into Yoruichi's chest or butt." Rei's response was to whip her now-empty teacup straight into his forehead, knocking him onto his back and sending the still-intact teacup into the air. As it fell Kenshin caught it with his coffee mug and sat back up, no worse for wear.

"That was actually kind of impressive," Usagi admitted as she set her juice down. "Both the catch and that it didn't break."

"Urahara likes to be prepared for anything," Kenshin answered, ignoring the large red mark on his forehead and continuing to sip his coffee.

The girls pondered that for a moment except for Usagi who looked down at her chest and heaved a heavy sigh. When asked what was wrong she replied, "Just feeling insecure, I guess." She turned to Kenshin and without hesitating asked him, "Kenshin, do you think my chest is big enough?"

Makoto started coughing so hard that coffee began leaking from her nostrils and Kenshin's face was bright red. The other two girls just stared at Usagi, not knowing what possessed her to ask such a question. "No offense but I'm not dumb enough to answer that," Kenshin replied as he prepared to take another sip. The next instant a fully-clothed Yoruichi delivered a punch strong enough to knock his head clear through the table and the upper half of his body through the floor.

"Have a little courtesy, jerk," the dark-skinned woman said, a smile on her face despite the vein popping out of her temple. "You're supposed to say, 'You're beautiful just the way you are, Usagi'." She turned to the blonde as she settled down. "You're still growing, Usagi. It's not fair to compare yourself to me at your age." Kenshin made a smartass comment – his face still planted firmly in the floor – and Yoruichi responded by stomping on his head while shouting angrily at him.

"I think I know why the teacup and book didn't really hurt him," Rei muttered, impressed by Yoruichi's strength.

"Now why don't you be a good host and make these lovely girls breakfast," Yoruichi ordered. "Offering them just tea and juice isn't considered good hospitality and you know it." Kenshin caved, replying that he would as soon as he could feel his spine again. Yoruichi grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him to eyelevel with one arm, glaring at him.

"Got it. Having feeling in my spine is optional. I'll get right on it," he replied with a nervous laugh and Yoruichi set him on his feet, leaving him to limp toward the kitchen. She sat next to the hole he'd been in and finished off his coffee for him.

"You're...really strong," Makoto finally said, drawing Yoruichi's attention. "Are you sure that Kenshin's okay?"

"He'll be fine," was the reply. "He might not look it but he's been through a lot worse than that."

"How do you know him?" Ami asked, curious to learn more about their new friend. Rei and Usagi leaned in as Yoruichi started to talk while Makoto followed Kenshin.

She grabbed a spare apron and quickly tied it on as she saw the spread that Kenshin had planned. "Breakfast is probably my least favorite meal to cook," he said, catching the brunette off-guard as he came out of the pantry. In his arms was a large pot of uncooked rice that he put into the kettle, stirred, and then put the lid back on. "There's only so much you can do that's considered acceptable. Hand me that tray of eggs, will you?"

"I guess with everything going on we didn't get a chance to ask," Makoto started but as she looked at him the words caught in her throat.

"Minako's doing well," he replied, knowing what she wanted to ask. "Her breathing's normal and her fever is all but gone. I wouldn't be surprised if she slept through today though. Her body's been through hell and needs to recover." He looked at her curiously. Her face was bright red as she worked on the bacon and sausage. "What's up with you?"

"It's just, uh, you kinda..." She gulped nervously as she moved to the pancakes. "The other girls make fun of me for this but you really do look like my ex-boyfriend." She looked at Kenshin to see surprise evident on his face.

" _That's_ what you were so nervous about?" he asked and Makoto just stared at him in shock. "Phew. For a moment I thought it was because you had a crush on me." He easily caught the chop from a furiously blushing Makoto. "Don't get me wrong; it's not that I really mind. I'm just not interested in dating right now."

"And Minako?" Kenshin's grip faltered as he thought about it.

"I'm responsible for the state she's in right now. I'll tell you now the same thing I'm going to tell her once she's better: You deserve someone better than me as a boyfriend. I like having the five of you as friends but that's all it should ever be...for your sakes"

Makoto stared at him, unsure of what to think of his answer. His eyes had the same hard glint that they'd had yesterday and she could tell that he believed what he was saying. With a sigh she gave him a light chop on the top of his head. "That's for being stupid," she told him when he asked why she had still hit him. "No one's ever gotten their life together by themselves so we depend on each other. That's what couples do for each other."

Kenshin didn't respond, thinking about what she had said while also asking himself why he was wasting time thinking about it. His job was clear: Eliminate Hollows and investigate the strange reiryoku in the Azabu-Juuban prefecture. The Sailor Guardians weren't the cause of it so it was his opinion that he end all contact with them. It was probably the one, and likely only, thing that he and Captain Kurotsuchi agreed on.

 _"It's not like they'll remember me once the investigation is completed anyway. Why the hell should I care what they think about me?"_ is what he told himself but another part of him said, _"What's the harm in actually being friends with these girls?"_

While they finished cooking there was an awkward silence between Kenshin and Makoto which they quickly ended as they carried the food to the table. Everyone was at a normal table to eat and a light dribble of drool escaped Usagi's mouth as she saw what they were bringing. "I think I love you, Kenshin," she said starry-eyed as her gaze followed the food.

"You'd love any man that can cook, Usagi," Ami pointed out as Makoto and Rei nodded fiercely.

"It's not that I don't love Mamoru; it's just he can't cook like Kenshin can," was the blonde's reply.

"Well, my parents work a lot so I kind of had to fend for myself," Kenshin explained as they started serving the food. "My martial arts teachers also taught me the importance of protecting said food by trying to steal my lunch when I wasn't paying attention." He gave a heavy sigh. "The more I think about growing up the more depressed I get." His face immediately brightened before the girls could say anything. "Oh well. Itadakimasu!" The girls gave the same cheer before digging in.

The day progressed fairly normally with the five of them hanging out at the shop when Kenshin wasn't helping run the store or running errands for Urahara. Yoruichi had made herself scarce since breakfast as had Urahara, only popping in occasionally to see how Minako was doing. By the time the sun set the girls had all gone to their respective homes to get changes of clothes and Makoto got some of Minako's for when she woke up. They slept in the same places as the night before though this time the girls did what they could to block off the door to the bedroom so that Yoruichi wouldn't surprise them again.

As Kenshin watched over Minako he could hear Makoto's words echoing in his head. _"That's what couples do for each other? Hah, yeah right. Like anything in life is that cut and dry."_ He frowned as he thought about his own actions. _"No. Stopping whatever the thing that was possessing Kiba was me getting her out of this mess. Then again, I knew her friends would have also found and stopped it. So why did I...?"_ He had already given himself a light chop on the head before he realized it. "Stupid boy," he muttered with a smirk. "I did it because I got you involved in all this. If I didn't then I'd never be able to live with myself." A blurry image of a blonde woman popped into his head, causing him to shake his head violently. Why he was thinking of her at a time like this was beyond him and he preferred not to complicate things any further.

* * *

Kenshin adjusted his position on the floor as he tried to get whatever was on top of him off. A nuzzling in his chest stopped his movements and his eyes slowly opened to see Minako holding onto him.

"...the hell?" he murmured as he quickly came to. _"But how did I get here without waking up?"_ It only took him a moment to realize it and he grit his teeth. "Damn you, Yoruichi."

As he started to try and remove Minako's grip she whispered to him, "Please don't go." Kenshin stopped as her eyes fluttered open and she tightened her grip on him. "Please don't go, Kenshin. I...I feel safe when you're here."

He debated still pulling away, not wanting to get closer to her than necessary, but the vulnerable look in her eyes made him relent and pull her closer. "Okay," he said, mentally kicking himself. "I'll stay by your side." She rested her chin on his shoulder, pressing her cheek against his ear and thanking him as they laid like that. "I'm glad you're better now, Minako," he said after a few moments.

"It's weird. I had this dream where you were the one that saved me," she told him. "I know it's just a dream but even when I felt better I couldn't shake the feeling. So thank you for saving me, Kenshin." He started to protest that he'd had nothing to do with it but chose to keep his mouth shut and pulled her in tighter. After a moment Minako pulled back enough to look at him and before long long their gazes were locked. They began to get closer and closer until their lips were only a hair's breadth apart.

"Goo—d morni—ng, Kenshin." Minako vanished as she was pushed down the futon and Kenshin ended up face-first in Yoruichi's naked chest. "Seems I got the right bed this time. Did I interrupt you two?" Minako's scream answered her question as Kenshin stared down the incoming karate chop.

At breakfast later the girls glared at Kenshin who was covered with multiple bandages and several lumps on his head. "And for the second morning in a row I say that it wasn't my damn fault," he muttered as he drank his coffee. Minako drank her tea in an almost defiant posture, refusing to look at Kenshin.

"How much you wanna bet it was Yoruichi waking him up?" Usagi whispered and the other three nodded. "So he definitely had it coming." Minako turned bright red but maintained her posture as the girls nodded again before turning their gazes on her. "So why were you two in bed together?"

"I, umm, don't actually know," Minako admitted as all eyes turned to Kenshin who only had to speak Yoruichi's name for all the girls, minus Minako, to sigh and accept his answer.

The rest of the morning was fairly normal with the exception of Minako requesting to help Kenshin with breakfast and to have the others girls trying to pull her away from the kitchen. They relented only when Yoruichi pulled them off one-by-one. As they ate what they were shocked that the food that Minako helped with was not only edible but tasted good.

It was as the girls were getting ready to head out that things began to liven up. As they were enjoying the warm Sunday weather Makoto walked into the clearing in front of the shop and turned to Kenshin. "Alright, Ken. Minako told us that you're something of a martial arts expert," she said, pointing straight at him. "I can stand you being a better cook than me but there's no way I'll just take you being tougher than me lying down. I say we have ourselves a little match to prove who's stronger."

"No way." Kenshin's answer was so quick that the girls had to ask him to repeat it. "I only fight when I have to and I don't spar. Period."

"So you won't fight me because I'm a girl?" Makoto snapped at him. "I don't need to put up with that-"

"I could care less that you're a girl. I _don't_ spar. Period." Kenshin narrowed his eyes at her causing Makoto to falter for a second. "Please just leave it at that." Makoto growled out of frustration when she saw Minako motioning for her to take his advice.

"Why don't you use _that_ , Kenshin?" Yoruichi said from inside the store. "This way she gets her match and you don't have to worry about hurting her." The glare was gone from Kenshin's expression as he looked at Yoruichi who tossed a blindfold at him.

"For the record I'm still against this," he protested as Makoto verified that there were no holes in the blindfold before Kenshin asked her to tie it on him. "But I also get the feeling that you won't let this drop no matter how many times I tell you 'no'."

"So then why are you wearing a blindfold?" the brunette asked as she walked over to her friends and took up a fighting pose. "Are you not taking me seriously?"

"A real fighter doesn't need to talk," Kenshin retorted, staring directly at the wall. Makoto growled and charged him, leading with a quick jab only to have him deflect it behind him. She let loose with a flurry of punches and jabs that, despite the blindfold, Kenshin dodged with seeming ease. As Makoto followed up with a powerful overhead kick the other girls just watched in awe.

"He's making her look like an amateur," Rei said finally. "He's wearing a blindfold and making her look like an amateur." She closed her eyes as she tried to feel out the situation before turning to Yoruichi. "How is he doing that?"

"He's reading the flow of her chi as they fight," the purple-haired woman explained as Kenshin parried another pair of blows. "This technique is only effective if you've been trained to read said flow and you're significantly faster than your opponent. The primary reason I suggested he use this style is that it forces him to fight at Makoto's speed."

"There are people able to do that?" Ami asked, impressed that a normal human would be capable of such a feat.

"I'm more worried about Mako," Minako said as she bit her thumbnail, recalling Kenshin's fight against Kiba's gang but knowing it was too late now. "She picked a really bad day to wear a skirt."

"Not her brightest move of the day," Yoruichi added with a sly smile. "Although Kenshin's missing quite the show. I wonder when she'll realize." She turned to Usagi who was squinting at the fight and trying to keep the sun out of her eyes with her right hand.

"Something is _definitely_ wrong here," she replied when Yoruichi asked. "Makoto told me that she'd returned that pair."

Before the girls could reply Kenshin caught Makoto in a shoulder throw and, with surprising force, tossed her towards them only to have the brunette catch herself with relative ease. "Alright, so you got some moves but you can't win a fight just by going on the defensive the whole time," she said, trying to taunt him only to have him tilt and scratch his head.

"Wait, you've actually been trying?" he asked, knowing full well that she had been. "I thought you were still warming up. Just let me know when you really want to get going so I know not to hold back." The brunette snarled as she went at Kenshin again with a straight punch only to have him parry the blow and slam his palm into her sternum. Trying to stay upright Makoto went for a left roundhouse kick that Kenshin easily grabbed with one arm before head-butting her.

Makoto stumbled back, her ears ringing and her head throbbing uncontrollably. "For crying out loud! What's your head made of?" she asked, glancing at him through one eye.

"Like you're one to talk! Good Lord, it's like banging my head on a brick wall," Kenshin replied as he staggered back. Makoto saw her chance and pushed through the pain. Her plan was to go for a jab at his gut, winding him, and then finish with a throw.

"Kenshin! Stop!" Yoruichi shouted as the blindfold, loosened by the headbutt, slipped from Kenshin's eyes. Unfortunately all Kenshin heard was his name before seeing an incoming Makoto and his instincts kicked in. Her jab was pulled past as a lateral chop to her collarbone sent her upper body reeling. As Kenshin stepped behind her he drew back his elbow and struck just below the base of her neck.

Makoto's mind went blank as pain overwhelmed her senses and she came to a crashing halt on the ground. As Kenshin realized what he had almost done his eyes filled with terror. "Not again," he whispered as he ran to Makoto.

"Damn, that was...a good one," she replied when he called her name, her voice strained as she tried to focus. "You really...don't fool around in a fight...do you?" She closed her eyes and laid her head on the ground as the girls gathered around them. Kenshin pinched one of her fingers and her ankle, both of which twitched when he did and her face scrunched up.

"Oh thank God," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!" Rei screamed at him, wanting to hit him but afraid of his reaction if she tried. "You could have-"

"That's enough, Rei," Yoruichi interrupted sternly, squeezing the miko's shoulder tightly. Rei turned to her and then back to Kenshin, relenting only when she saw the regret in his eyes. "I'll take her home and make sure there's no permanent damage. Okay, Kenshin?" The teen nodded and left Yoruichi and the girls to their own devices, closing the door to the shop behind him.

"How are you not furious at him?" Rei asked, turning on Yoruichi just as the dark-skinned woman was lifting Makoto onto her back. "He could've killed her with that last hit!"

"Don't you think it's odd that someone as talented as Kenshin doesn't participate in martial arts anymore?" Yoruichi asked as she stared down Rei. "Did you ever consider why he didn't want to fight in the first place?"

The girls were silent until Usagi spoke up. "I think we all just assumed he doesn't like to fight. Did something happen?"

"Just before he entered high school Kenshin was considered to be one of the premier martial artists in Japan," Yoruichi explained, recalling his cover story. "During a summer tournament his opponent was an equally skilled girl and she was pushing him to his absolute limit. Since it was the finals they weren't limiting styles so Kenshin was using the one that he developed and she was matching him blow-for-blow." Her head fell for dramatic effect. "Kenshin went to finish the match using his signature combo, what you saw him use on Makoto, but the girl tried to duck and instead of hitting below her neck he hit at the base of her skull." The girls' hands all came to their mouths. "The blow killed her instantly."

"Why would he fight like that?" Minako asked as she remembered his fight with Kiba's gang.

"Kenshin has trouble consciously holding back, it's just the way he was taught. So instead he tweaked the moves so that the normally-lethal ones hit wrong and just cause intense pain instead of death."

"I think I remember hearing about that fight," Ami said, trying to recall the details. "The martial arts commission didn't find any wrongdoing so no criminal charges were filed but I think they banned him for life."

Yoruichi nodded. "That's why he started taking kendo," she added. "It's also part of the reason his parents wanted to move here. It gives Kenshin a chance to compete again without people judging him because of his past." She turned to ask Minako a question only to see the blonde closing the shop door as she followed Kenshin. Yoruichi couldn't help but smile. "C'mon, you girls should get home. Can Makoto stay with one of you tonight?"

Minako went to Kenshin's room where he had left the door open while he changed his shirt. She immediately latched onto him, hugging his back, and his body stiffened for a brief moment. "I'm guessing Yoruichi told you what happened," he said, already knowing the answer and Minako's nodding head confirming it. "So do you pity me, knowing what happened? Can you feel sorry for a killer?"

"Stop that." Her words surprised him. She had struck him as being the kind of person that would immediately feel sorry for someone upon hearing a sob story, fake or not. "I don't feel sorry for you because of what happened. I feel sorry for you because you've had to shoulder that all by yourself." Her grip on his midsection tightened. "That's what friends are for, Kenshin: To help you bear the weight of life."

 _"You too, huh?"_ he thought, thinking back on Makoto's words. Minako let go and quickly gave him a light chop on the head.

"That's-"

"-for being stupid," Kenshin finished as he turned to her.

Minako's surprise was evident but it was quickly replaced by a smile. "If you know that then Mako already got you," she said and Kenshin nodded.

"About Makoto..."

"I'm sure she'll be sore come Monday but she's fine for now," the blonde told him, knowing what he was going to say. "I know you didn't mean to hurt her and the other girls do too so stop beating yourself up." She chopped him on the head again and he couldn't help but smile. "And so you know, Makoto's friends all call her Mako and she only does that chop to her friends." Her smile brightened. "And if you're friends with her you can count the rest of the girls in too." He raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "The way I see it we're already friends," she explained. She stared at Kenshin's feet sheepishly as she blushed. "What I'd really like is if we could be more."

Kenshin hesitated, recalling what he'd told Makoto about his decision but seeing Minako like this was tearing him apart inside. "Can I get a mulligan on our first date?" he asked, finally relenting as she beamed him a smile. "You getting sick and me beating up Makoto probably isn't the best way to start things off." She hugged him again, still not entirely aware that he was shirtless. "We've got Friday off from school so I'll talk with Urahara about getting the weekend off."

Minako nodded, gave him a peck on the cheek, and headed out. Kenshin's smile quickly faded as he swore at himself. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered, putting his shirt on and walking into the main room and throwing open the door to Urahara's room. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you were listening the whole time."

"I actually just got back," Urahara admitted as the Senkaimon closed behind him. "There was some business back in Seireitei I had to see to. Why, did I miss something interesting?" Kenshin shook his head as he told the shop owner about his plans for next weekend. "I already figured as much," Urahara replied, "so Yoruichi and I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious while you enjoy yourself."


	6. Alliances

Jadeite walked down the halls of the youma base as he went over what had happened over the last few days. The youma that Kiba Ikaragi had made a deal with was dead and the energy it had gathered had been scattered, leaving him with nothing but information.

Hopefully Empress Beryl would accept that in lieu of success.

He didn't remember much about the Eternal Sleep he'd been punished with and there were parts of his memory that hadn't fully recovered yet. What he did remember was that he had continually failed because he had underestimated the Sailor Guardians' abilities and determination. After being frozen for several years he'd awoken to find Queens Beryl and Metalia dead and the Dark Kingdom smashed. But all that changed after their encounter with the being that called herself an Arrancar. With a wave of a tiny crystal she resurrected Queen Beryl, infusing her with the combined power of Queen Metalia and an entity called Pharaoh 90. They didn't know much about the latter other than that its power had been considerable.

Rebuilding the youma army had been his Empress' first order, one that Jadeite had completed with ease, earning some semblance of his ruler's respect once more. Beryl, naturally suspicious of their new 'ally' and furious at her defeat by Sailor Moon's hands, had then given him a simple order: Kill the Sailor Guardians.

"What do you have to report, Jadeite?" Empress Beryl asked as he entered the main chamber.

"The modified youma performed much as we expected but its power was anything but impressive, my Empress," he said, fear creeping into his mind. "It would also seem the Sailor Guardians have a new ally of their own. I believe he is what the Arrancar woman warned us of: a shinigami."

"Is that an excuse?" Her tone told him that it was unlikely he'd be frozen again but rather annihilated or devoured by the Hollows that now wandered D Point.

"I'm afraid it is," he admitted, bowing his head in shame. "I was prepared for the Sailor Guardians and chose this youma for that very reason. However, the skills of a shinigami weren't accounted for and the Hollowfied youma was quickly dispatched." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I have no excuse for my failure this time, my Empress."

"What were you able to learn about the shinigami?" Beryl asked, her voice calm and Jadeite felt something resembling relief flood through his body.

"He is extremely skilled with a blade and seems proficient in spellcraft. I doubt, however, that he will show us his full strength unless given no other choice." When asked for a suggestion Jadeite carefully considered his options. "I don't believe we can deceive the shinigami but we may be able to either destroy the Sailor Guardians or lull them into a sense of complacency, making it easier to destroy them. I don't think our ally would be interested in this plan however."

"It may have struck my fancy," a sweet voice said from behind him and Jadeite turned. Stepping out of a large black tear in the fabric of reality was a woman with short tousled stark-shite hair in a white midriff top in addition to white hakama and black boots. Along her jawline were the remains of her Hollow mask that curled up behind her ears. "Why don't you humor me, Jadeite, and tell me how you want to destroy those pesky Sailor Guardians this time."

Her violet eyes bored into him and Jadeite knew full well that she was mocking him. How she'd become aware of his past failures before reviving Beryl he didn't know but she'd been the one to save him all the same. "I need a contingent of these Gillian you've talked about," he said finally. "The Guardians will likely assume that it will be the most powerful Hollow they can possibly encounter and we'll support this by using lower-level Hollows attack them before and after, should they survive. Once the others have awoken we'll then be able to crush them with ease."

"You're hoping that no matter the outcome of the fight that we come out on top?" Beryl asked him and Jadeite nodded. "I see. What do you think, Minerva?"

The Arrancar, Minerva Kialla, crossed her arms over her ample chest as she smile at Jadeite. "I like your style, boy," she admitted causing the human to seethe. "Despite the fact that the Gotei 13 will eventually interfere the Gillians will still be able to do a great deal of damage in the time it takes them to respond. And if this shinigami of yours gets involved I doubt that anyone short of a Lieutenant could take on a dozen or so Menos Grande." Jadeite's and Beryl's eyes widened as Minerva turned to show them the '8' tattooed on her left side. "Give me some time. Arranging transport for so many Gillian at once is a logistical nightmare." She stepped back into the Garganta and the tear sealed itself.

"I don't mean to second guess you, Empress," Jadeite said, his skin still crawling, "but are you sure it's wise to trust that woman? I feel that we are nothing more than pawns to her."

"For the time being we have no choice but the trust this Octava Espada," the Empress said, closing her eyes. "Even with the power of Queen Metalia and Pharaoh 90 within me her power eclipses that several times over. There is not a doubt in my mind that she is using us but for the time being our goals seem to be the same." Her servant bowed, accepting her decision. "In the meantime continue to test the limits of the youma modifications she provided and see if one of them can be tailored to fight the shinigami."

"As you wish, my Empress." With that Jadeite vanished in a cloud of energy.

Beryl brought up an image of three human figures wrapped in white bandages from head-to-toe. Ever since her own resurrection these three had been like this with no change. Minerva had promised that their power would increase exponentially once they were completed but that it would also take time. _"All of them were killed either because of their incompetence or because of the Sailor Guardians,"_ she thought, _"and yet Minerva was able to bring all of us back from the dead and make us more powerful. What does that woman possess that gives her such unbelievable power?"_

* * *

It was a peaceful Tuesday and Kenshin was enjoying lunch with the girls, talking about the test they had coming up next week when a wooden sword struck him in the back of the head. "Suzaku! I need to see you in my office!" Ikkaku shouted from across the courtyard. Kenshin, still seeing stars, gave him a thumbs up and the bald teacher walked off.

"Is he seriously allowed to do that to a student?" Rei asked, impressed by his accuracy.

"It's just his way of testing my reflexes," Kenshin replied, his voice tinged with pain. "I'll catch you girls later." He grabbed the sword and his lunch and headed towards the kendo instructor's office. "I _almost_ didn't hear it," he said, handing the sword back to Ikkaku. "But if I had dodged you would've hit Minako."

"I'd've let her get hit but whatever," the 3rd Seat of the 11th Division replied as he motioned to the back of his office. He and Kenshin passed through the wall as it rippled around them where Yumichika was waiting for them in his shinigami form. Next to him was a man with a painted face and an outfit that could only be described as outlandish.

"Captain Kurotsuchi. I didn't expect to see you here," Kenshin said as members of the Shinigami Research & Development Institute walked around him to get to their workstations.

"After your little stunt I felt that we needed an outpost here," the Squad 12 Captain said in his nasal voice. "It seems the only ones to notice that the school had needed repaired were the Sailor Guardians."

"They were talking about it when they went on one of their patrols the other night," Kenshin confirmed. "For now I think they're willing to let it drop until they get more clues." He narrowed his eyes at the scientist. "But I highly doubt that you came all this way for a little lab setup. Is there something you wanted to get done here?"

"Aren't you the curious one," Mayuri said with a sly smile. "There is something actually. I need to apprehend one of the Sailor Guardians in order to study their abilities. It may also give us some insight into these 'youma' you've been encountering." He barked a command to one of the researchers who brought up an image on the computer screen. "Do you know this girl?"

"Ami Mizuno also known as Sailor Mercury," Kenshin replied quickly. "Her abilities seem to focus around water and ice but she's also the tactical brains of the team and can formulate strategies while analyzing enemy strengths and weaknesses. Long story short I doubt that these Guardians would even be alive if it weren't for Ami."

"I'll make the arrangements then," Mayuri said, tapping his long fingernail against his temple. "I'll leave it up to you to keep the others in the dark."

"It won't be that easy, Captain." The strangely-dressed shinigami turned back towards Kenshin. "These girls are pretty tuned into each other. If you take one of them back to Seireitei they're going to notice her absence spiritually and physically when she doesn't show up for school." The Captain looked at him, his bored gaze asking both why he should care and if the young shinigami had a solution. "Let me handle this, sir."

Mayuri gave Kenshin a brief glare before dismissing him, deciding it might be more interesting to leave him in charge. The three 11th Division members walked out of the research lab and Yumichika entered his gigai, adjusting his tie as they three of them discussed what had been going on.

"How exactly are you going to get her to tell you what the Captain wants?" Yumichika asked. "As you said, the other Guardians will know if she goes missing."

"Trust me on this, Yumichika," Kenshin said with a grin. "Remember you're talking to a former member of the Onmitsukidō. Kidnapping and interrogation were some of my specialties back in the day."

* * *

After school the group went their separate ways with Makoto and Ami heading toward the latter's apartment. Makoto left her at the main floor as she headed back to her place and Ami headed up to her apartment, humming a tune she'd heard on the train ride over. She unlocked the door and went in, starting to close it before something else caught her attention. She drew her transformation rod as she turned to see a shinigami whose face was obscured by a scarlet scarf.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" she shouted, quickly recognizing him. He didn't respond as purple cherry blossoms fell around Ami and her eyes widened. She tried to question the intruder once more but the room began to spin as she fell to the ground.

When she finally came to she was on a hard cot in a dark room. There was a single light not far from her and the aroma of freshly brewed tea filled her nostrils. She tried to stand but her legs felt like rubber. "Ah, you're awake," a voice said from near the light. Ami looked toward it to see an older man pouring the tea into two fancy cups. He wore a black shihakusho like the shinigami in Tokyo but wore a jinbaori over it in addition to long white armguards and a white turtleneck underneath his top. His silver-grey hair and thin black handlebar mustache gave him an air of sophistication. Ami noticed an armband around his left arm with the kanji for 'one' and a carving of a chrysanthemum underneath it.

"Where...where am I?" Ami asked, her head still spinning. "And who are you?"

"I apologize for the rude manner in which you were brought here," the man said, offering her his hand which she took. He walked her over to the table where she sat down across for him. "Unfortunately it was deemed a necessity as we did not think that you would come willingly. As for who I am..." He sat up straight. "My name is Chōjirō Sasakibe, Lieutenant of the 1st Division of the Gotei 13."

"Guessing by how you're dressed I can assume that you are a shinigami," Ami said, sipping the tea cautiously. She stopped as she looked down at the tea. "This is amazing! I've never had tea so fresh."

"That would be because I grew the leaves myself," Chōjirō replied with a smile. "And yes, I am a shinigami. It's not surprising that you know of us now seeing as how it was the one stationed in Tokyo that saved your friend."

"So why have you brought me here? Am I a prisoner?" Her questions got right to the point to which Chōjirō sighed and set down his cup.

"By any definition, yes, you are prisoner here," he admitted, surprising Ami. "We would like to study your abilities to see if we would be able to benefit from incorporating them into our own. We also have a number of questions about the youma in general. We would like your cooperation and, if you are willing to give it, I would be more than happy to share information both on Soul Society and Hollows with you in exchange. Does that sound acceptable to you, Sailor Mercury?"

Ami visibly winced. While she wasn't fond of being experimented on and interrogated the information would likely be more than worth it. "Do you have my friends here or is it just me?" she asked after a moment and Chōjirō assured her that it was just her. "And in the process of these experiments I won't be harmed?" He nodded. "Then I'm willing to help you. There's a great deal we don't know about these Hollows and we need to be able to fight them."

"You'll have to deal with questioning her for now, Lieutenant," Mayuri said from off to the side. Ami looked to see him studying the Crystal Change Rod. When she demanded it back the scientist just tilted his head and stared at her, almost like he was bored. "I'm curious to know more about this transformation you Guardians use and the simplest way is to study the item you use to achieve it. Don't worry, I won't damage it...too much."

"Please forgive him. Captain Kurotsuchi can be very...curious," Chōjirō apologized, giving Ami a small bow. She calmed down after a few moments and told him that it was okay.

"Before we go too far into this would I be able to meet the shinigami that saved Minako?" she asked.

Chōjirō shook his head. "I'm afraid that he has requested that his identity be kept confidential unless it becomes absolutely necessary for him to reveal it," the lieutenant explained. "But if you like I can pass along a message for you."

Ami accepted his offer and the two began to talk. She had a hard time believing how complex the Gotei 13 was, not to mention Soul Society, but tried to focus her questions on the Hollows, their abilities and even how they were created. In return she told Chōjirō what they knew about youma as well as the various enemies they'd faced in the past. He seemed most curious about the relationship between the Dark Kingdom and the Silver Millennium. Before Ami knew it Mayuri returned her rod and was asked to demonstrate her powers against him.

"I wouldn't worry about hurting either of us," the Captain said, idly picking his ear. "Despite how powerful you believe you've become you are nothing compared to a Captain of the Gotei 13."

"If you insist," Ami said as she brought the rod over her head. "Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!" With a swirl of the rod and the trailing energy she felt her transformation finish as she stared at the two shinigami. Chōjirō seemed surprised while Mayuri had barely paid attention. A weight on her right arm drew her attention to see a black band wrapped around her bicep.

"Rather than trying to scan your attacks from the outside it was easier to make an addition to the rod that provided a sensor," Mayuri explained when she asked. "It will only last as long as this transformation so feel free to use everything you have against us.

Ami grimaced. She didn't like the fact that he had tampered with her transformation without her knowing and this unwelcome addition didn't help. "Then tell me how this one is!" she said as energy began to form in her hands. "Bubble Spray Freeze!" The bubbles erupted towards the shinigami, engulfing them in a storm of bubbles but they soon popped leaving the two shinigami no worse for wear. "But how?"

"As I said. Your powers are still significantly less than a Captain's," Mayuri reiterated. "Please do continue." In response Ami used everything she had in her repertoire against them but came up short as each attack did nothing to them. She collapsed onto her knees, sweat pouring off her brow as she gasped for breath. "Are you finished?" the Captain asked after a moment. "I was hoping that you would have more to show but I suppose that will have to do for now."

"Are you ready to head back home?" Chōjirō asked, offering his hand to Ami who gladly accepted it once more.

"I have one last question if you don't mind," she said as her transformation faded away. "The shinigami in Juuban used several techniques against a Hollow. I believe he called it Hadō."

"You are referring to kidō attacks, one of the pillars of shinigami training." Chōjirō held his hand out towards the wall and a small sphere of red formed in the center. "Attack techniques are referred to as Hadō and sealing techniques are called Bakudō." The sphere faded as Chōjirō put his hands together. "If you would like I can give you a more practical demonstration." Ami nodded and Chōjirō couldn't help but smile. He held his left hand up and it began to glow with a gentle white light. "Bakudō #37 – Hakufuku."

Purple cherry blossoms surrounded Ami again and she realized too late it was happening again. Chōjirō caught her as she fell and placed her back on the cot. "Using kidō while in the middle of using a modified bakudō is impressive I'll admit," Mayuri said as the air around Chōjirō began to shimmer. "I suppose that's a result of being trained by Hachigen Ushōda and Tessai Tsukabishi isn't it, Kenshin Suzaku."

As the energy dissipated the 11th Division member threw Ami over his shoulder. "There's not a lot of people who know about that, Captain. I'd prefer if that were kept between us," he requested. Mayuri shrugged and handed Kenshin a pentagon badge with a black skull imposed over a black 'X'. "What is this?"

"It will allow us to monitor the Sailor Guardians in both their civilian and Guardian forms," Mayuri explained. "Once they all touch it it will take a unique form for each of them. I'll be able to study and analyze their powers from here or in Seireitei and will also allow them to communicate with you."

"So we're making this alliance official?"

The Captain nodded. "The Captain-Commander's orders are final: Assist the Sailor Guardians in any way possible." Kenshin nodded as he stepped out of the lab into Ikkaku's office and out the nearest window.

Kenshin sped across the city, doing his best to avoid any unnecessary movement so that the girl on his shoulder wouldn't wake up prematurely. Even though he'd been trained by the Kidō Corps using two spells simultaneously was still a bit out of his league. He knew of shinigami capable of casting two spells at once using the incantations but it wasn't a skill he'd ever been very good at. Not to mention that he'd skipped the incantation on Hakufuku in favor of catching Ami off-guard.

 _"Not much further,"_ he told himself as he stepped on empty space and shot upward. As he neared the apartment a familiar reiatsu flooded his senses and he swore under his breath. He doubled his pace and within seconds was outside Ami's window. He quickly opened it and set her on the bed before releasing some of his own reiatsu, knowing the girls would come charging towards it.

Rei and Makoto bolted up the stairs through Ami's complex while Minako and Usagi chose the elevator, arriving at about the same time as the other two. From there they went to Ami's apartment where the door had been left cracked open and they stormed in.

"Ami!" Makoto all but shouted as she saw the blue-haired girl sitting on her bed, still groggy from the aftereffects of the bakudō. "You're okay!"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, trying to stand but then quickly remembering what had happened the last time. She sat back down and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I just need to get my bearings." Her friends all tackled her, nearly suffocating the poor girl who cried out both for help and an explanation.

"You've been missing for almost two days!" Rei said as she tried to pry a crying Usagi off of Ami. "We managed to cover for you at school but-"

"Oh no! I missed the math test!" The girls all sighed together, not shocked in the least at Ami's priorities. "But wait, I was only with them for a few hours." Almost on cue they asked who she was talking about. "There was a very nice gentleman named Chōjirō and another, well, not so nice man. I think Chōjirō called him Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of the 12 Division and Head of the Shinigami Research & Development Institute to be accurate. He was also the one responsible for messing with your sense of time so that you wouldn't be concerned with going missing," a male voice said. The girls all stiffened as they looked around for the source. Kenshin knocked on the window and Ami stuck her head out. She looked at him leaning against the wall and standing on the air as if it was no concern. He turned his head to stare at her, all but his eyes hidden by the crimson scarf. "We meet again, Ami Mizuno."

"H-h-how is he doing that?!" Usagi cried. Kenshin didn't answer as he stepped through the window and onto the floor. "Hang on a second. How do you know Ami?"

"There's no point in hiding it, Usagi," Ami told the bun-haired teen. "The Gotei 13 already know about us." The girls turned to her, not sure what she meant. "Ah, sorry. The Gotei 13 are a group of shinigami dedicated to protecting Soul Society and defeating Hollows."

To prove the point Kenshin pointed to each of the girls, naming them and their appropriate Guardian identities, even pointing out that Luna and Artemis could talk and were their advisors. Kenshin made a mental note that he'd been fortunate the cats hadn't been waiting in Ami's room otherwise they would have seen his face. "Any questions?" he asked when he was done. "And before you ask it, no, I'm not going to tell you my name. There wouldn't be a point to it since we won't be seeing much of each other if I can help it."

"Wow, talk about a grouch," Makoto muttered and Kenshin glared daggers at her.

"I'm only here talking with you because I was ordered to," he told her pointedly, tossing the badge Mayuri had given him onto Ami's bed. "You can use that if you need to get in touch with me." He stepped onto the window ledge when Ami asked how it worked. "Why don't you all put your hands on it and find out?"

"Wait! Please," Minako said as Kenshin prepared to leave. "You're the one that saved me, aren't you?"

Kenshin was silent for a moment, measuring his answer carefully. "If you're going to thank me don't bother," he said finally, taking the blonde by surprise. "My duty is to hunt down Hollows. When I tracked the boy down that's what I thought he was. It's fortunate for you that he Hollowfied when he did." With that he was gone.

"Man, someone needs to pull the stick out of his ass," Makoto said, putting her fist on her hip.

"It's more like an entire tree," Usagi added and earned a giggle out of the brunette.

Minako nibbled on her thumb nervously as she thought about what Kenshin had said. "Even though he said all that I don't think he really would've let you die, Minako," Rei assured her. "Remember, when we came upon him he was getting ready to blow the youma away." Now it was her turn to worry. "Then again, he didn't seem to mind killing Kiba in the process regardless of whether he was Hollow, human or youma." The two of them turned to Makoto who was looking over the badge Kenshin had left behind. "Now what about that?"

"It's just a wooden badge," Makoto said as she tossed it into the air a few times. "I don't see how it's supposed to contact him. Maybe..." She held it to her mouth like a radio. "Come in, Grumpy. Over."

"We could try like he said," Usagi offered, putting her hand on the badge. It started to glow with a gentle light and she immediately pulled back. "Whoa! That was weird."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Minako said as she put her hand on it. The other girls, although unsure, followed suit and when all five were touching it the badge let out a burst of intense light. When it passed all five were in their Guardian forms. "Hang on a second! How did that happen?!"

"Is this because that Captain was studying my transformation rod?" Ami wondered out loud. A beep from her computer drew her attention so she pulled it out to see a flashing skull, identical to the one on the badge, on her screen. She touched it and four tendrils of energy shot out, latching on to the others' left earrings and transforming them into small skulls. An identical one appeared on the back of Ami's computer and with another short pulse of light the badge disintegrated.

"It would appear that Captain Kurotsuchi's research paid off quickly." Kenshin's voice could be heard clear as day in all the Guardians' ears. "You'll only be able to use this communicator in your Guardian forms but I can reach you if I need to in your civilian forms. Just do me a favor and don't call unless you absolutely need me to save your asses. I may have been ordered to help you but I wasn't told how often I had to."

"How about you pull that stick out, pal?" Makoto shouted, hoping that he could hear her.

"Eat me." There was an audible click just as Makoto let loose a stream of expletives that left the other Guardians in a state of shock.

"The next time I see that jerk I swear I'm gonna let him have it!" the Jupiter guardian swore, still fuming. They each deactivated their transformations and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luna, Artemis. Would you mind staying here tonight so I can go over the information I got from Chōjirō?" Ami asked the cats and, after a nod from their respective owners, they both nodded. "Thanks. I'll go over what I can tonight but I'm exhausted."

"Do you want one of us to stay here with you, just in case?" Usagi asked worriedly but Ami shook her head. "How about this: You get some rest and we'll all come over tomorrow and you can tell us what you learned." The blonde gave her friend a pouty glare. "And how much you told them."

"Umm, I may have to take a rain check on that," Minako said, remembering the plans she'd made with Kenshin. "I kinda already have plans for tomorrow and I can't really change them." The curious glances of her friends intensified. "Okay, I _don't_ want to change them but this is really important to me too."

"It's a long weekend for you girls and it's been a hectic week to say the least," Luna interjected. "It wouldn't hurt for all of you to take some time off and relax."

"Yay! I say we all go to the park!" Usagi shouted excitedly and the girls quickly shushed her, reminding her that there were other people living around Ami. Pouting she reiterated her point much to Minako's obvious discomfort. "Well, Minako? Can whatever you have to do be relocated to the park?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," the blonde replied, mentally cursing Usagi for her suggestion but knowing that if she tried to change the girls' plans it would just make them more suspicious. "I'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know, okay? Well, gotta call it a night!" She quickly made her exit, her mind racing as she tried to think of what to tell Kenshin.

"Okay, that wasn't the least bit suspicious," Rei pointed out. "It's almost like she didn't want us asking any questions about her plans."

"She's been pretty excited all week," Artemis added, hopping onto Ami's bed and curling into a ball at the end. "Well, she was until Ami went missing."

"Ten bucks it's a date," Makoto said flatly and the other girls sighed their agreement. "But who do you think with?" They looked at each other before muttering the same name: "Kenshin."


	7. Is It Too Much to Ask for One Day Off!

Ami spent the better part of the next morning talking with Luna and Artemis, trying to disseminate all the information she'd gathered while with "Chōjirō". Her report was interrupted by the girls, minus Minako, knocking on her door. She quickly changed into casual clothes and joined her friends as they headed to the trains which would take them to the park.

Elsewhere, Kenshin and Minako were walking side-by-side as they made their way through a different train station. "So her mom turned out to be okay?" Kenshin asked, referring to the story Minako had told his gikon.

"It was serious enough she had to be hospitalized but by the time Ami got there she was well on the road to recovery," Minako explained, glad that they'd all discussed this beforehand. "After all, she _does_ work at one of the best hospitals in Tokyo." Kenshin commented that it was good that she'd be fine as they bought their train tickets and got on. Minako turned to ask Kenshin something but was interrupted by the train lurching forward, sending her face-first into Kenshin's torso.

"Easy there," he said, holding her close to him for a moment. When Minako made no move to change their position he let his arm linger around her shoulders. "You okay now?" She nodded as she stood up and held onto the handlebar, trying to hide her grin from him which only caused Kenshin to smirk to himself.

At the next station Usagi, Rei, Ami and Makoto got on a different car, oblivious to their friends less than a hundred feet away from them. A couple stops later they all got off and now Minako was on full lookout for the others, suggesting to Kenshin they take a different route to the park. She didn't tell him it was so that they could be alone together or that she didn't want her girlfriends eavesdropping on them either. They continued talking, most of it small talk, when Minako tripped on a stone and started to fall. At the same time Kenshin turned his upper body as a noise caught his attention, leaving Minako's arm flailing for his.

 _"Not good!"_ she thought as she held her arms out. Without warning the ground began to reverse directions as Kenshin caught her by her waist with a single arm and lifted her back onto her feet. "Wow, that was..."

"...the most predictable move on the planet, that and the stunt you pulled on the train," Kenshin finished for her, giving the blonde a knowing smile. Minako tried to feign ignorance but relented when she realized she couldn't bluff her way out. "Seriously. If you want to hold on to me, or whatever, you don't need to try and trick me." He took her hand in his and the two kept walking and after a while Minako leaned on him, a relaxed smile on her face.

It didn't take long to get to the park and Kenshin paid for both their tickets, briefly hearing Usagi yell for them but choosing to ignore the bun-headed teen. When the other girls got through the gate Kenshin and Minako had already vanished into the crowd. "Man he's good at that," Usagi muttered as she looked around for them. "How did they disappear that quickly?"

"You know we don't have to follow them around all day," Ami suggested, thinking that Minako would prefer to spend the day with Kenshin.

"But I'm curious and feel like being nosy," Usagi retorted frankly. "Besides, am I the only one that thinks it suspicious that as soon as this shinigami shows up so does Kenshin? Same with all these new teachers and shops. For all we know it's all connected."

"Maybe, but new shops open up all the time and schools get new teachers and students," Rei replied exasperated. "Kenshin might be weird in his own way but that doesn't mean we should jump to conclusions."

"You're just saying that 'cause you think he's hot," Makoto replied, noting her own hypocrisy which was also pointed out by Rei and Usagi. "No way! How could I like a guy that managed to take me down?"

"One, you kinda asked for it," Ami pointed out. "And two, something tells me that's the only kind of guy you would even respect." Makoto stared at her friend in shock while the other two giggled their agreement.

After a bit of mild arguing Usagi finally agreed with Ami and the girls set about to enjoy their day. Kenshin and Minako, meanwhile, were heading toward a large merry-go-round as the blonde pulled him along. As his hand touched one of the steeds Kenshin felt a slight pull on his reiryoku that faded after a second. _"Okay, that was weird,"_ he thought as he looked around, getting on the horse just before the ride started. _"This thing is covered in some kind of twisted reishi that's trying to absorb my reiryoku. It's not much and if I wasn't tuned into it I probably wouldn't have even noticed."_

"What's wrong?" Minako asked, hoping that the boy wasn't bored.

"Oh, it's nothing," Kenshin lied as he forced a smile. "Just feels a little weird riding this thing."

"Well then you get to pick the next ride."

"You sure about that?" Minako nodded and Kenshin couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you."

After a bit the ride ended and everyone got off with the teens heading towards one of the larger rollercoasters. Minako wanted to protest but remembered what she had promised. After the ride was over it took all her willpower not to fall into the bushes and vomit. "Holy cow that was intense," she said as her stomach lurched again. "And don't you dare say 'I told you so'."

"If you insist," he replied with a smartass grin. It hadn't been hard to notice that the same twisted reishi had also been on the coaster and although he couldn't see any of it from a distance he was willing to bet that the entire park was covered in it. _"Not a bad plan. Thousands of people visit the park every day and each attraction drains a little more energy from them. No one thinks twice about being tired after leaving an amusement park."_ Out loud he said, "What do you say we hit up some of the non-ride stuff? Should give your stomach a chance to catch up with you."

Once in the central square Kenshin looked at all the different games with Kenshin able to quickly pick out which ones were rigged in the operator's favor. "Oohh, look at the stuffed kitten!" Minako fawned, staring at a very large fluffy white stuffed cat. She looked at the game and smiled confidently at the ball toss. "Oh yeah. This one's in the bag." She paid and took her three shots but was unable to knock all of the bottles down.

"Let me try," Kenshin offered. He tossed the first ball up and down a few times as he measured his shot. There were three stacks of three each in a pyramid. Between the shape of the bottles and how they were stacked it was near impossible to knock each stack down with one shot. With a smirk Kenshin wound up and sent the ball rocketing towards the middle stack, hitting the bottles with enough force to send the bottom two in opposite directions and knock down the other stacks completely.

The operator and Minako stared in awe at his feat, completely dumbfounded. Kenshin pointed at the cat that Minako had been eyeing and, after some light teasing, relinquished the stuffed toy. He watched as she snuggled the giant cat and had to eventually look away so he didn't burst out laughing. "What? I like cats," Minako said, giving him a playful glare.

"Whatever you say, Kitten," was Kenshin's reply as he mussed her hair up a little. While only irritated for a second Minako stared at Kenshin. "What's that look for? No one's ever given you a cute nickname before?" When she shook her head Kenshin had to stop and think, rubbing his chin as he did so. "Then 'Kitten' won't work. Too generic." Minako stared at him, partly disbelieving that he was seriously doing this and also hoping for something unique. After a bit he snapped his fingers in a moment of brilliance. "Got it! From now on I'll call you Mr. Whiskers!"

Minako's face turned bright red almost instantly as she searched for something appropriate to say but found herself coming up short. The best she could manage was, "Mr...Whiskers?" to which Kenshin nodded and continued walking. Before she could say much else his attention had already been claimed by one of the many 'test of strength' games. She joined him, still blushing and partly fuming but overall very happy.

"Think you can take on the famed Hito Iryokuno?" the operator chanted as a man with enormous muscles posed next to him. "You there, sonny! Do you think your strength can match his?"

"I'd like to think so." His nonchalant answer seemed to stun him, the muscleman, and Minako. "So what's the game?"

"Kenshin, this is clearly rigged," Minako whispered in his ear. "I mean, you're tough but there's no freaking way you're stronger than him outright."

"O ye of little faith, Mr. Whiskers," he replied, causing her to blush again. Turning to the operator he reiterated his question and the man, still a bit shocked, explained that he simply had to get a 25% higher score, using one of the provided hammers, than Hito. There were a handful of other rules he went over before Hito stepped up and slammed his hammer down on the platform, generating a reading of 1000 on the scale.

Kenshin picked up the second hammer there, mentally noting that the hammer did not weigh what it said on the side. The difference was slight, maybe five pounds at best, but in this kind of contest every little bit mattered. He condensed some of the reishi in the air into the hammer to make up the difference and swung with one arm, scoring 1010 points. "Not bad, not bad," Hito commented, clearly impressed by Kenshin's strength. "But not good enough to win."

"Still good enough for Round 2. Ready, big guy?" Kenshin replied cockily to which Hito laughed loudly. He stepped up once more and with a much heavier swing scored 2500 points. He turned the stand over to Kenshin who held the handle with both hands but on the swing only put force behind one. Even still he managed to score 3000 points, nearly sending Hito and the operator into shock. "Hmm, close but no cigar. You game for a third round?"

Hito gulped nervously. He knew there was no way anyone could match him at this level, especially with the hammer that Kenshin was using, but the boy was clearly something special. "Heh, looks like I finally get to let loose," he said with a grin. He positioned himself carefully and let loose a battlecry as he swung the hammer, scoring just under 6000. "There," he panted. "Let's see you top that. That might actually be a personal best for me."

"You don't say." Kenshin's calm attitude unnerved the bodybuilder even more since the spectacle had started to draw a large crowd. Kenshin started off holding the hammer in front of him like a sword, earning a curious stare from Minako.

 _"Could he really beat this musclehead using kendo?"_ she thought to herself as Kenshin took several breaths. He drew the hammer over his head and stepped forward, bringing the hammer down with enough force to rattle the otherwise-sturdy machine.

Hito and the operator's jaws dropped when they saw Kenshin's score. "It's...it's..." the operator stuttered.

"It's over nine thousand!" Hito finished for him.

"Y'know, I could've sworn I've heard... Nah, not really important I guess," Kenshin said while scratching his head. "Since that's more than 25% I win, right?" The operator reluctantly nodded and showed Kenshin the prize booth. They ranged from the mundane to the extravagant, many of them bracketed with scores the winner would have had to reach in order to get them. While Kenshin qualified for all of them he settled on a large black ribbon tied into a bow with a white cat fastened to the knot. Hito and his boss sighed with relief as the two teens left with their prized in hand.

"So you could've gotten some really nice things but settled on a bow?" Minako asked, not entirely sure what Kenshin was thinking.

"Well, it's a hair ribbon and I figured it might teach those swindlers a lesson," he admitted. "And is it just me or does this park have some obsession with cats?"

Minako stared at him curiously before he asked what was wrong. "I'm guessing you're not familiar with the zodiacs," she said and he shook his head. "This is the year of the Rabbit but some people also call it the year of the Cat. It's an old story that I don't really know too well but my guess is that whoever owns the park goes with the year of the Cat and not Rabbit."

"Must make merchandising a pain," Kenshin commented as he stared at the bow. "Can you hang on for a sec?" Minako glanced at him but nodded all the same as he stepped behind her. She felt her bow being untied and was about to protest until she felt it put back in place. "Looks good," Kenshin said, letting her know that he was finished.

She turned to see her red ribbon in his hand and the black one gone. She gave him the stuffed cat as she ran to find a mirror. The tails of the ribbon were longer than her red one but the black complemented her blonde hair nicely. "I like it," she finally said as Kenshin walked up behind her. "At this rate you're gonna end up spoiling me." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

* * *

Elsewhere in the park Usagi stared at her funnel cake with childlike glee. "I don't know how you can eat like you do, Usagi," Rei said while working on her bowl of ice cream. "How are you not basically a blimp yet?"

"I get plenty of exercise," the bun-haired blonde replied matter-of-factly as she started eating, squealing with delight as she did so.

"C'mon, Rei. You oughta know better than anyone that some things will never change with Usagi," Makoto said, enjoying her own funnel cake. "Besides, she has a good point. We've been pretty active since classes started and it's okay to indulge every now and then." Usagi nodded happily at the brunette's suggestion. "Also, these things are freaking amazing."

"I guess I'm still a little jealous of Minako," the miko replied, recalling how they had almost run into her and Kenshin. "He won her that huge stuffed cat and then beat that Hito guy like it was nothing."

"I still can't believe we ran into them without even trying," Ami admitted as she ate her ice cream, "not to mention Mamoru and Motoki. Did you ever find out why they're here, Usagi?"

The blonde nodded between bites of the deep-fried batter. "Motoki's sister is putting on a community play about the Sailor Guardians as a fundraiser. Motoki convinced Mamo to help while he's on break from Harvard." She giggled as she remembered what her boyfriend had told her. "Apparently Motoki has to play Tuxedo Mask because Mamo's too tall, at least that's what Unazuki says." The other girls laughed at the thought.

* * *

"Okay, remind me how I let you talk me into this," Kenshin asked as he and Minako got into a small boat. They were on a ride called 'The Tunnel of Love', a name which Kenshin pointed out made no sense. Still, Minako had dragged him into the line which was comprised of all couples.

"Because you've learned it's pointless to resist against me when I start being cute," she replied with a large smile. Kenshin started to reply but Minako cut him short with a light jab in the ribs. As the boat began to move she leaned up against him and he responded by wrapping his arm around her.

 _"What the hell am I doing?"_ Kenshin asked himself after a few moments. _"I have a job I need to focus on and instead I'm here pretending to care about some human."_ Knowing Minako couldn't see his face his expression fell. _"I say that I don't care but...whenever I see her this happy my heart starts racing. Is it because she's the Agent of Love and Beauty or because I..."_ In order to interrupt his thought he kissed the top of Minako's head and tightened his grip around her. It didn't do much to derail his train of thought but the pleasant murmur Minako let out was enough to distract him for a bit. Whether he was acting or actually falling for her didn't matter right now. She was happy and after everything she and her friends had been through (and likely would go through as well) she deserved to be.

The whirring of gears ahead of them drew his attention. There was a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness watching them and he couldn't help but smirk. "Look out! It's a monster!" Minako yelled, jumping to attention and pushing Kenshin out of the way. As she stared down the monster she was oblivious to the splash of water behind her. After a moment her stance relaxed. "It's just one of those animatronic things," she sighed, pushing the fake monster back. "That's just cheap, trying to scare girls into clinging to their boyfriends. Don't you think so, Kenshin?" She turned around, looking for her date. "Uh, Kenshin? Where'd you go?"

A splash and loud gasping from behind the boat caught Minako's attention as Kenshin stood on the riverbed. "Ugh, I think I swallowed some of the water," he said, hacking and coughing as he did. "You know, most _normal_ people's reaction to seeing a monster isn't to go charging in headfirst and knocking their date out of the boat." Minako apologized and extended her arm to help him back in. Kenshin took her hand and, with a wicked grin, pulled her in with him.

As the ride ended both Kenshin and Minako were back in the boat sopping wet and Kenshin with a large lump on his head. "Are you two okay?" one of the park employees asked as they got out. "What happened?"

"Well, she knocked me out of the boat by accident and I decided to return the favor," Kenshin admitted while Minako still fumed. "I, ah, may have forgotten that she wore a white blouse today."

"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't think you deserved that," the female employee said as she pointed to the lump. "But why-"

"I saw that little goblin thing and jumped to protect him," Minako interrupted. "It was a knee-jerk reaction is all. So is there someplace where we can dry our clothes off?" The two employees nodded as they took them to a Visitor Center where they were able wash and dry their clothes separately.

As Minako went to tie the black ribbon in her hair she saw that the cat pin had broken in half. Her heart sank as she forgot about tying the bow and walked into the lobby with both in her hands. When Kenshin asked what was wrong she showed him and gave a sigh and a smile. "I'll talk to Urahara and see what we can do," he told her as he offered to tie the bow. When he was finished he put the pin in his pocket and the two of them thanked the park staff for their help.

"So what do you want to do next?" Minako asked, still holding on to the giant stuffed cat.

"Well I was thinking the log ride looked interesting." Minako glared at Kenshin playfully as he teased her. "The park will be closing before long. Why don't we head out and grab something to eat?" Minako nodded as they headed for the exit.

* * *

Back at the Tunnel of Love two engineers looked at the small animatronic goblin that had been set up. "I don't know whose idea this was but it was not their brightest one," one of them said as he unbolted it from the platform. He stopped as he felt the heat coming off of it. "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say this thing was real."

"That's not funny, man," the other said. "So why'd it stop working?" He shook his head as he looked it over.

The service door opened behind them and with a glance they saw the silhouette of their manager. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No, boss. Just had part of the ride break on us."

"I see. Why don't you two head out and I'll take care of it." The two engineers shrugged, accepted the offer, and headed out. The manager walked in and placed his hand on the goblin's chest. "I see. A single thread of energy pierced the temple, killing this youma almost instantly." The manager's eyes glowed bright yellow as the flesh in the smaller youma's chest rippled, opening up to reveal a small glowing blue gem. "It's fortunate that it had already gathered all the necessary energy before it died. Still, Master Jadeite will not be pleased at this development." It removed the gem and the goblin youma disappeared into dust. With a mental command a hulking creature appeared behind him. "Find the one that did this and bring them back to Master Jadeite alive," the manager commanded. "I assume you can track down their energy." The creature gave a grunt of approval as it absorbed some of the surrounding reishi, catching onto Kenshin and Minako's scents. It disappeared with the sound of static and the manager pocketed the gem.

* * *

As they left the restaurant Kenshin could feel the reiatsu of the creature sent after them long before it arrived. While the texture of it felt off at first there was no doubt in his mind that it was an Arrancar and a fairly strong one at that.

"What on earth is that?" Minako asked as the hulking beast stood in front of them. "How did it just appear like that?"

The Arrancar stood well over nine feet tall with three mohawks on his head: one on each side and one down the top. His mask fragment rested over his left eye and extended below his jaw while his uncovered eye stared at the two teens. "It's you," the Arrancar said, sniffing the air and looking directly at Kenshin. "But that can't be right. You don't have any energy." It turned to Minako and sniffed the air again. "Maybe it was you?"

"He might be big but it seems like he's missing something in the brains department," Kenshin quietly noted. In his head he could hear the other Sailor Guardians asking for his help in chasing down a monster and instinctively knew they were coming towards him.

"It's not nice to say that about people," the Arrancar said, his speech slow and measured. "It's not my fault this is the way I was made. You should apologize or better yet..." He smiled as he pulled a large claymore – easily as tall as Kenshin and Minako – off his back and let the edge hit the pavement, shaking and cracking the ground. "I'll just carve your apology out of you and the girlie."

"We might be out of our league," Kenshin told Minako, knowing that while in his gigai he wouldn't stand a chance. "They do say the better part of valor is running like hell."

"I don't think that's how it goes but I like how you think," Minako agreed just as the Arrancar vanished. "Whoa, hang on! Where did he-"

"Look out!" Kenshin shouted, shoving her out of the way and catching the Arrancar's blade between his palms, stopping it only inches from his head. "Damn, he's fast. When did he get behind us?"

"You're pretty strong for someone with no energy," the Arrancar noted, a sliver of yellow in his left eye socket. "Or maybe you're just hiding it. That'd be a neat trick for a human. Master will definitely be interested in that." His expression fell. "Oh, that's right. I'm supposed to bring you back alive so I guess killing you is bad." His mouth twisted into a sadistic smile as his eye lit up with sick joy. "Guess that means you get to watch the pretty blonde girl die."

"Over my dead body," Kenshin snarled back, letting some of his reiatsu loose. The Arrancar faltered under its sudden weight before being smacked in the head by a solid pipe with enough force to throw it across the ground. "Thanks. I owe you for that," he said to Minako.

"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" she asked, part of her suspicious.

"If by 'energy' he means chi then that makes sense. When I'm not in a match I keep it to an absolute minimum," he explained. "This wouldn't be the first time that someone said I didn't have a chi flow. As for that last bit..." His eyes narrowed at the recovering Arrancar who shook the cobwebs out of his head. "There's not a chance in hell I'll let him hurt you."

"And I'm not letting him take you," Minako stated, setting aside her suspicions for the time being. She looked at the misshapen pipe in her hands. "This can't be a good sign. How did the pipe bend from just hitting him?"

"That wasn't very nice, ambushing me like that," the Arrancar said as he pointed his sword at Minako. "Now you get to die, girlie." He bolted at her sword-first just to have Kenshin knock the blade to the side and Minako hit him in the face with an overhead strike. The pipe did nothing but bounce off and vibrate out of her hands. "You can't break through my _hierro_ with weak attacks like that!" the Arrancar roared as he swung at them again. Once again Kenshin knocked the blade off-course, sending the Arrancar crashing into a wall.

"That blade is nothing more than an extension of your arm," Kenshin explained. "So long as I avoid the sharp edges it's no different than parrying a punch or jab."

"Is that so?" the Arrancar asked with sick glee as he appeared behind Kenshin. With a sweep of his leg Kenshin threw the brute off-balance before tossing him down the street like it was nothing.

"Yeah, that's so," was the shinigami's response as the Arrancar tried to decipher which way was up. "Minako, I get the feeling we're not gonna be able to run from this guy." Surprised, she asked why not. "You've seen how fast he moves. Even if we run like mad he'll catch us in a heartbeat."

"So you think we can beat him in a fist fight?" Kenshin made several noises but settled on saying no. "Okay, any other bright ideas?"

Kenshin responded with a nervous chuckle. "Oh I've got plenty of ideas, just no bright ones."

"I'm tired of playing with you now," the Arrancar said, pointing the tip of his claymore at them. "Master said I shouldn't use this but he won't complain as long as I get results." His body began to emit a twisted yellow aura as his reiatsu forced Kenshin and Minako onto their knees.

 _"Not good! If he releases his resurrección there's no way the two of us can stop him like this!"_ Kenshin thought, his hand instinctively reaching for the gikongan inside his shirt.

"Bend," the Arrancar started just as a disc of light sliced through his sword arm. Both arm and sword fell to the ground in a spray of blood and he let out an animalistic roar. "No! Who did that?! Come out here so I can tear you apart!"

"You might look human but there's no doubt that you're a monster," a female voice stated from somewhere behind Kenshin and Minako. Once they could stand Sailor Moon walked past them along with Sailors Jupiter, Mars and Mercury with Tuxedo Mask seeing to the two 'civilians'. "We are the Sailor Guardians and it's our duty to protect the innocent and punish the wicked. And that means you."

The Arrancar's head dropped as his body shook with rage. Gradually, however, that anger was replaced by laughter. "Master will be so pleased when I tell him that not only captured the strange boy but I was able to kill the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask." He bared his teeth in a feral grin as tendrils of flesh reached out from the stump of his arm, regenerating it almost instantly.

 _"High speed regeneration,"_ Kenshin thought, cursing their luck. _"This guy is a lot stronger than he's letting on but there's no way for these girls to know that."_ With that information in hand Kenshin walked towards the Arrancar without hesitation.

Tuxedo Mask gripped Kenshin's shoulder though the shinigami didn't turn to him. "It's best to let the Sailor Guardians handle guys like this," he suggested.

"Sorry but I can't let them do that," Kenshin replied as he walked past the Guardians. "He came after me and my friend and I won't let that stand." He turned to Sailor Moon who just stared at him in surprise. "Besides, he's already said he doesn't want to kill me. I figure that gives me a bit of an advantage."

"You're nuts, you know that?" Usagi told him but Kenshin just smiled. "We can't just let you put your life on the line because you think you can win."

Kenshin's smile widened. "That's where we disagree. I know for a fact I can't win against this guy." The Sailor Guardian's eyes widened in surprise. "But I can make him leave an opening for you girls to hit. Keep in mind we'll only get one shot at that since I'm assuming he's at least smart enough to figure out when someone's trying to kill him."

"Hey, boy, can you speak up?" the Arrancar said as he scratched his head. "If someone doesn't fight me soon I'll just kill all of you."

Kenshin grit his teeth as he walked forward. For the first time since he'd been with the girls he'd been completely honest: There was no way in his current form that he could beat an Arrancar of any level. "Since I'm the one you came for I say the two of us settle this here and now," Kenshin said, dropping into an attack stance. "You were complaining about my lack of energy before. Well, hold onto your pants because from here out I'm not gonna hold back."


	8. Unmasked

"You were holding back before?" the Arrancar asked, still scratching his head. "How can someone with no energy hold back?" The Sailor Guardians looked to Minako who just shrugged since she didn't fully understand it either.

"Let me show you." Kenshin focused his reiryoku through his body until a steam-like aura began emitting from his arms and legs. In truth it was a parlor trick he'd learned a long time ago since all he was doing was releasing his reiatsu so he could fight at a higher level. He did focus some of that around his arms and legs since he'd been briefed on an Arrancar's hierro.

"Oh wow," Usagi said, slightly uncomfortable under Kenshin's reiatsu. "I've never felt the air this heavy. It's almost like it's trying to flatten me."

"It's like a shot to the gut," Rei added, remembering what it had felt like when Kenshin had first visited the shrine.

The Arrancar, though a bit taken aback at first, was still unimpressed. "You're strong for a human," he admitted with a sneer. "But you'll need a bit more than fancy parlor tricks." Before he could say anything else Kenshin bolted, slamming both palms into the Arrancar's gut. As he doubled over in pain Kenshin grabbed the back of his head and slammed his knee into the Arrancar's face. "Why you little-" Once more Kenshin cut him off by attacking him head-on, extending his arms and swinging until they were like whips. The Arrancar staggered under each hit though Kenshin suspected he was only playing at being hurt. At one point he locked Kenshin in an embrace and laughed at the boy's misfortune. Kenshin responded by driving one hand into his chin – eliciting a laugh – before bolstering it with his free hand under his elbow, snapping the Arrancar's head back and breaking the hold.

"Man, I'm glad he didn't use that on me," Makoto said quietly as she rubbed her throat.

"He's doing surprisingly well considering what he's up against," Ami said as she scanned the two combatants. The other Guardians looked to her and asked what she meant. "I'm still running a few scans but from what I can tell Kenshin's up against a Hollow."

"But he looks human," Rei said as she looked back to the fight in time to see Kenshin parry a jab and counter with twisting the Arrancar's arm, eliciting a loud groan. "How could he be a Hollow?"

"I'm not sure but the energy I'm seeing from him is similar enough to a Hollow that I'd be willing to bet on it," was the reply. "He's far stronger than any of the others we've come across so far. It might be some kind of mutation or the next step in their evolution. I didn't think to ask Chōjirō about something like this." She scowled for a second before putting her hands together. Energy formed between her palms and she shouted, "Bubble Spray!" Mist filled the street, obscuring the Arrancar's vision but still allowing Kenshin and the Guardians to still see.

 _"I owe you one for that, Ami,"_ Kenshin thought with a smirk. He moved quickly to get behind the Arrancar and focused his reiryoku into his left fist. "Ikkotsu!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the Arrancar's back. The skin under his jacket cracked and erupted in a spray of blood and the force sent the Arrancar reeling down the street.

"Venus Love-Me Chains!" Minako yelled, having transformed where Kenshin couldn't see her. A set of glowing orange chains wrapped around the Arrancar's torso and another set anchored him to the ground.

"Fire Soul!" and "Super Supreme Thunder!" were the next two attacks, Mars' sending up a pillar of flame that completely engulfed the Arrancar and Jupiter's lightning superheated the flames, transforming some of it into plasma. The Arrancar screamed in feral agony as it broke free of Venus' chains.

"How...How dare you, you miserable little maggots!" he roared, his disintegrated flesh rapidly regenerating. He held his hands together, palms out, in front of him as a sphere of red energy began to form. "Cero!" The sphere blasted out from his palms and the girls just barely dodged as a wave of energy hummed past them and into the night sky. The beam seemed to vanish until a large explosion cast a fiery glow over the Juuban district. "Guess I'll just have to try again," the Arrancar muttered as he formed another sphere. "Say your prayers, girls. I'm not going to miss this-"

His threat was interrupted by a bloody blade erupting from his chest and through his hands. "Like I'd let you fire off another one of those things," Kenshin growled through gritted teeth, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side and the right holding the hilt of the Arrancar's claymore. His gaze focused on Usagi. "This is what they call 'leaving an opening!" he shouted at her, causing the blonde to jump.

After a brief recovery Usagi nodded, holding up the Eternal Tiare and lighting up the entire street. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" she chanted as a wave of light washed over Kenshin and the Arrancar.

"No...this can't be," the Arrancar stuttered as his body began to disintegrate. "How can...something this beautiful...be my end?" With that he and his sword vanished, leaving a very surprised Kenshin looking at his body. All the injuries he'd taken, whether from the Arrancar or self-inflicted, were gone as well.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked as they surrounded Kenshin, giving Minako a chance to slip away and change back to her civilian identity. "It looked like your arm was busted something fierce."

"Yeah," Kenshin admitted as he flexed his left arm. "I've never been able to get that technique down right; I've got the power figured out but the impact leaves my arm completely useless." He turned to Usagi, feigning amazement and curiosity. "But how am I healed now? And what happened to that guy? Also, what-"

"Let's just say it's our job," she interrupted. "It's like I said: We're the Sailor Guardians and it's our job to protect the innocent and punish the wicked." She looked around to see Minako out of her Guardian transformation. "Well, since our job's done we should be going. Stay safe you two!" The girls ran off along with Tuxedo Mask as Kenshin and Minako watched them.

"So who exactly are these Sailor Guardians?" he asked his date, feigning ignorance and curiosity.

"Hang on, you've been here how long and this is the first you're hearing of them?" she asked him, trying to keep her temper in check. She relaxed after a moment before latching onto Kenshin's chest. "You idiot. That guy could've killed you." She relaxed enough to reach up and repeatedly chop him on the head.

"He didn't want me dead but that wasn't the case with those Sailor girls," he explained, placing his hand on the top of her head and pulling her in close. "Still, someone was pissed off enough to send that guy and I don't think he'll be the last."

"I know," was the blonde's answer as she squeezed him tighter. "Which is why you're not telling me it's better to stay away." Kenshin pulled away, genuinely surprised by her answer. "If they're coming after you then it's my job to protect you too. Besides, what's to say that they won't try to use me against you?"

Kenshin bit his lip but accepted the truth of what she said. Despite that he took a few steps away from her, trying desperately to come up with an exit strategy for the situation he was now in.. "Minako, I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to be beside me like I'm some kind of burden," he told her and she felt her heart sink. "I want you to be with me because it's what you want." He turned to her and for a moment Minako's heart leapt. "Because that's what I want too."

She blinked several times as she tried to process what he was saying. "Wait, did you just clumsily ask me-"

"Yes, I'm asking if you'd like to be my girlfriend," he said, a bit exasperated both by her cluelessness and his inelegance. "It's not like I've done this before." Minako's response was to tackle him with a grin stretched across her face. As they hit the ground Kenshin's face lit up with pain. "Owowowow, the shoulder is still _really_ tender!"

"Any boyfriend of mine has to be tougher than that," Minako told him, still smiling. After a moment she relented and helped him up. "I want to be with you too, Kenshin. Who knows, maybe some of your brand of stupidity-bravery will rub off on me." Kenshin made a comment about being halfway there and Minako responded by poking at his sore shoulder. They made their way home and said goodnight before heading their separate ways.

As Kenshin stepped up to the door to Urahara's shop he noticed a certain black cat lurking in the shadows. He motioned to Luna to follow him and she reluctantly did so. Kenshin set down a bowl of milk that she began lapping at, watching him the entire time. He made some small talk with Urahara and Yoruichi before heading to bed, all three of them fully aware they were being spied on.

At Minako's house she collapsed onto her bed after changing into her pajamas, both exhausted and unbelievably happy. "Are you okay?" Artemis asked as he hopped up next to her. "Luna and I caught a bit of the fight but not much more than that." He looked over at the giant stuffed cat suspiciously. "And just what is that thing?"

"A present from my new boyfriend," Minako said, enjoying how the words rolled out and repeated the last three words a few times just to get used to them. "And before you say it, Artemis, this isn't just some silly crush. Kenshin actually asked me to be his girlfriend!"

"Glad to see your priorities haven't changed," the white cat muttered with a sigh. "Still, you don't find it the least bit odd that he can just fight at that level like it's nothing? No human we've ever met can do the things he can. Don't you remember what Luna and I said about people who are able to control their energy?"

"He said it was a martial arts thing," she explained, still giddy. "It's not a far stretch to think that one of his teachers taught him that trick." Minako sat up, a sly smile on her face as she scratched behind Artemis' ears. "Besides, if we want to gather info on him the easiest way would be to date him. We'll all be spending more time with him without having to offer invitations all the time which, to be honest, was starting to feel a little weird."

Artemis stared at her in mild shock. "That's...surprisingly forward-thinking of you, Minako," he admitted as Minako continued her scratching, causing him to start purring. "But what if he's the shinigami? This could be part of his plan to do the very same thing to you girls."

"Would it really be all that bad if he was?" Artemis' body stiffened at the question. "I mean, you don't just lay your life on the line for someone you see as just an informant, right? And I believe him when he says he wants to be with me." Her hand came to her chest as she gripped her shirt. "When I'm with him my heart starts feeling weird. I can feel it in him too. Whether it's just woman's intuition or because I'm Sailor Venus doesn't really matter. I...I want to keep feeling like this even if he is the shinigami."

Artemis stared at his ward, unsure what he should be thinking. As suspicious as he and Luna were of Kenshin it was amazing to see how happy he made Minako. And seeing what they had tonight it would be hard to convince any of the girls that they needed to be cautious around him. _"I can think of at least one of the girls that wouldn't be happy about this little development,"_ he thought as Minako got under the covers and snuggled up to the cat plush. _"But if she's this happy with him then maybe it's not so bad. And if he_ does _turn out to be the shinigami then he'll be keeping her safe by being nearby."_

* * *

A hum of energy and the sound of a door shutting woke Luna up with jolt. _"Oh no! I didn't mean to actually fall asleep,"_ she said to herself, cursing her carelessness.

"Well hello again, kitty," Urahara said as he set down a small bow of cat food that Luna immediately went to work on. "What did Usagi call you again? Luna?" Luna meowed out a response that led to Urahara stroking her fur. "I'll have to let her know you stayed here last night otherwise she'll worry herself sick."

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. He opened it to see Minako with Artemis on her shoulder. "Hi, Mr. Urahara," she said, surprisingly chipper for it being just after dawn. "I was wondering if Luna's here. Usagi kind of freaked when she couldn't find her."

"Talk about timing," the former shinigami said, inviting her in. "She must have followed Kenshin home last night." Before Minako could ask anything Artemis jumped down and joined Luna in eating the food Urahara had set out. When asked if Kenshin was in Urahara shook his head. "He's running errands for me today," he explained. "It's mostly administrative but the client wants to meet face-to-face rather than over the phone. There's a good chance he won't be back for a while. Sometimes these runs turn into day-long events." Minako's face fell a little but she nodded; she had to remember that Kenshin also had his obligations to the store. When Artemis and Luna finished they both brushed up against Minako, telling her that they were ready to go. The teen said her goodbyes and headed out.

* * *

Kenshin stepped through the Senkaimon and onto the platform, breathing in the air of Soul Society. It felt like he hadn't been here in years and he was happy to be home. He took his time walking the streets before eventually coming to his destination: the 10th Division barracks.

"Oh, hello Kenshin," a small white-haired boy wearing a white haori said as Kenshin entered the main building.

"It's good to see you, Captain Hitsugaya," was the reply. "I was actually looking for Lieutenant Matsumoto." Toshiro Hitsugaya pointed back towards the main office and Kenshin thanked him before heading in. Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto was busy trying to catch up on the paperwork that she'd put aside for so long.

"Kenshin!" she exclaimed, happy for a distraction from work. "I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been up to?"

"They've got me assigned to the World of the Living," he explained, trying to fish what was left of the cat pin out of his shihakusho. "Part of that is infiltrating a group called the Sailor Guardians." He held out the cat pin which was surrounded in a bubble of reiryoku. "This was part of a gift I gave to get in their good graces but after a run-in with an Arrancar last night it's basically destroyed. I was hoping you might know how to get another one or something like it."

"Are you trying to enlist the Shinigami Women's Society?" the lieutenant asked coyly. "Why not ask Yachiru since she's your Lieutenant?"

"You know that she'd never let me live this down, right?" Rangiku laughed out loud before agreeing to help. She leapt out the window just as Toshiro burst into the room.

"Don't even think about it, Rangiku!" the young Captain but she was long gone. "Damn it! She's not sticking me with her work again."

"I'll do it, sir," Kenshin offered, eliciting a curious stare from the boy. "She's helping me with something related to my assignment so it's only fair if I fill in for her for the time being."

Toshiro sighed as he headed back to the door. "I should get _you_ to be my Lieutenant," he muttered, thanking Kenshin as he closed the door. Kenshin did what he could of Rangiku's work but much of it pertained directly to the 10th Division so he ended up leaving a good chunk of it for Rangiku to do.

Several hours later Rangiku returned to the squad room where Kenshin was still working. She presented him with two cat hair clips, reasoning it was all they were able to do. One cat was black and the other white and both had a small crescent moon above their eyes. When Kenshin asked Rangiku held up a slip of paper that had Urahara's signature on it. After swearing her to secrecy Kenshin told her what had happened in the last couple weeks.

"So this Minako is the Agent of Love & Beauty, huh?" Rangiku asked, staring at the projection Kenshin had created. "She's definitely worth looking at but are you sure you want to go down this road, Kenshin? I mean, she's a human and you're a shinigami. The age difference alone..."

"If you think about it we're basically teenagers, Rangiku," he pointed out, leaning against the window frame. "I'm only 176 after all and you've got maybe a couple decades on me. Besides, these girls at least keep the assignment interesting."

Rangiku stared at the 11th Division member who was now smiling. "In all the years we've known each other, Kenshin, I don't think I've ever seen you this relaxed," she said after a moment. "Usually you've got a stick up your ass about becoming the strongest, kinda like Ikkaku."

"Can't really argue that point," Kenshin admitted with a chuckle. "Maybe it's the girls, maybe it's just getting to be back home after dealing with all this human crap. As for the other thing you mentioned, about her being human, it's not like she'll remember me when my assignment is finished." His smile faded, replaced by the hardness he usually put forward. "For the sake of gathering the information that Captain Kurotsuchi's little toys can't I can handle being around them." He stood up, patting his shihakusho to make sure that he had the clips. "Thanks again, Rangiku. I owe you another one for this."

"Keep this up and I might have to start collecting on that debt," she said with a sly smile. "It was good seeing you, Kenshin." He echoed the sentiment and left the 10th Division barracks, heading out into the Rukongai.

It didn't take him long to reach the 34th District where he touched down in the street, shocking some of the residents but they went about their day when they realized it was only a shinigami. As he reached the outskirts of the district he came to a hill with a single tree at the peak. Under the tree was a small makeshift grave that Kenshin knelt down in front of, saying a small prayer before examining the single flower laid in front of the marker.

"I don't think I've been here since I got out of the Academy," Kenshin said as he picked up the flower. "A lot more's happened since then that I don't think I could really tell you about it in one sitting. You'll be happy to know I at least graduated, top of my class even." He smiled, a tear forming in the corner of his eye. "I really wish you could've been there." He looked up, able to see all of the 34th District of Rukongai from his perch. There were also a number of young children running up the hill toward him, their faces beaming at seeing Kenshin again. "Looks like they'll be here soon, Saihana. Next time I'll bring the sake you always liked."

The kids shouted Kenshin's name as they tackled him, sending him tumbling across the ground. They bombarded him with questions about where he'd been since the last time he'd visited while sharing their own stories about what had happened in the fifty years it had been since they'd seen him. One of the younger boys looked back from Kenshin to Saihana's grave.

"Did you come to see nii-san, Kenshin?" he asked. The shinigami nodded as the other children let him up. "Do you think she'd be mad that you haven't been back in so long?"

"You guys know her. She'd kick my butt six ways from Sunday for putting it off for so long," Kenshin replied, kneeling down and mussing up the boy's hair. "Besides, she and I have a lot to catch up on. I only have until tomorrow to hang around before I have to get back to my assignment." The kids whined but didn't insist he stay longer. As they all headed down the hill Kenshin stopped to look at Saihana's grave one last time before heeding the children's call.

* * *

The Senkaimon opened over the Juuban district and Kenshin stepped out, his face already covered by his scarf. He made his way to Urahara's before swearing under his breath, feeling the girls' reiatsu at the store. He landed on an overlooking roof to see them helping Urahara close up for the day. They all looked tired, Usagi especially, though Minako also seemed worried that she hadn't heard from Kenshin since their date.

"Well, Kenshin's train should be getting in soon," he heard Yoruichi say as she headed out the door with the truck keys in her hand. Minako asked something Kenshin couldn't hear but Yoruichi shook her head, smiling. "As much as I'm sure he'd love to see you, Minako, there's only room for two in the truck and he's not coming back empty-handed."

 _"Thanks for the warning,"_ he thought as he spun around and made for the nearest station. A presence next to him caught his attention as the two of them stopped mid-air. "Renji? What are you doing here?"

"Urahara asked for my help while you were gone," the 6th Division Lieutenant stated, adjusting the bandana over his forehead. "He also asked me to help you load up the shipment Captain Kurotsuchi is sending him." When asked if it was the same place Yoruichi was supposed to pick him up the red-haired shinigami nodded. "Care to tell me why you decided to pay a visit back to Seireitei?"

"There was something I needed to get," Kenshin told him, knowing he could trust Renji. "Rangiku helped me get it too. It was something that I had originally gotten for one of those girls so she and Lieutenant Kusajishi got a replacement for me."

"You mean like a gift?" Kenshin shrugged, knowing that it was an accurate explanation. "Better you than me, I guess. I don't have a clue what it is you see in those humans."

"I felt the same way at first but there's something about the five of them that sets them apart, aside from their Guardian powers that is," Kenshin explained as they landed near the train station.

They slipped into the back where a pair of gigai were waiting for them. When they transferred inside they went up to the platform where a train was just coming to a stop. There were two large carts of packages that Kenshin signed for, bringing them down the platform steps as Yoruichi pulled up. She was obviously uncomfortable driving the vehicle and made her complaint well-known as the two shinigami started loading up the bed. With that done Kenshin hopped into the cab with Yoruichi while Renji went on his way, most likely ditching the gigai as soon as possible at Urahara's and heading back to continue his training.

 _"He wants to become strong enough that he can defeat Aizen? Just what have you been smoking, Renji?"_ Kenshin thought as Yoruichi drove through the city.

He'd witnessed some of the fight between Aizen and the substitute shinigami. Granted, he'd been left behind in Seireitei in the event that Aizen did manage to get that far, not that a lowly fourth seat would have been able to stop someone of Aizen's caliber. Then the fake Karakura had appeared, just like Captain Kurotsuchi had planned on. Before long a massive power entered Soul Society, leaving even those in the Seireitei struggling to stand. While he'd only felt Captain Aizen's reiatsu a handful of times Kenshin knew – as soon as he was able to think after being hit with a wave of power that immense – that Aizen had made his way back. The explosions after that had come out of nowhere but it was the silent wave of black that had washed over the area had been more terrifying than anything Kenshin had seen in his life. After that it was simply over. Aizen was sentenced to Muken, Karakura Town went back to the World of the Living, and life in Seireitei returned to normal. Well, aside from the new Captains that, from what he'd been told, could use Hollow powers in addition to their shinigami ones. He'd believe it when he could see it but he wasn't eager to push the issue.

"Something on your mind?" Yoruichi asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You look like you didn't really want to come back."

"Not really," he said, noting that it felt more like a half-truth, "but it's not really up to me now, is it?"

"So you coming back had absolutely nothing to do with Minako?" The question hit hard though Kenshin knew Yoruichi meant nothing by it. "The way that girl's been looking for you has been pretty heartbreaking. You took on an Arrancar, knowing that it could have easily killed you in your gigai, in an effort to protect her and the other Sailor Guardians. That's gonna earn you some serious points in her eyes."

"Assuming she and the others don't suspect me of being a shinigami, then yes," he said, leaning his head back. "But if they didn't suspect that then they're dumber than I thought. What I can't figure out is how no one in this city, especially their families, don't already know who they are. It's not like the transformation is all that drastic."

"Kisuke thinks it has something to do with how they manipulate the reishi in the air when they transform," Yoruichi offered. "It's able to affect pretty much anyone, even each other. But since shinigami are constantly exposed to reishi it has no effect on us." Kenshin grunted, accepting the explanation. "Speaking of transforming, you're lucky Kisuke whipped up a combat gigai for you. Otherwise that Arrancar would've turned that body into a stain on the ground."

The two were fairly quiet on the rest of trip with Yoruichi only cursing at the truck three or four times. Minako was sitting on the front step when they pulled up and her face immediately brightened when Kenshin stepped out. Before she could do anything the other girls and Urahara came out to greet them and help bring in the boxes. With that done Urahara paid the girls for their help through the day and all but Minako headed home.

"I missed you," Minako said as Yoruichi closed the door behind her, leaving the couple outside on their own. "I was worried that you might have tried to skip town on me."

"Well, there was that client Urahara sent me to meet," Kenshin explained, recalling what Yoruichi had told him, "and I didn't exactly have a chance to say anything before I had to head out. I also stopped to see a couple old friends, one of whom owed me a favor." He pulled the hair clips out of his pocket and handed them to Minako. "Unfortunately there wasn't much left of the pin after that thing came after us."

"They're beautiful," Minako said, awestruck at the level of detail.

"My guess is she had to have them made rather than just buying them seeing as how she was gone the better part of the day," Kenshin replied with a smirk. Since he knew that Rangiku had run into Urahara he also knew he would have pointed her in the right direction to have them made. When Minako noted the similarity to Artemis and Luna he looked at them, feigning surprise. "I was telling her about Artemis so she must have taken it on herself to make one like him."

"Thank you, Kenshin," Minako said, hugging him as best she could while sitting down. After a moment he offered to put them in her hair to which she quickly agreed. He set them above her left ear with the cats side-by-side. "I'd really like to stay and ask about your trip but it's getting really late."

"Let me walk you home at least," he offered as they both stood, taking her hand in his as they walked down the street.

When Kenshin arrived back at the shop Urahara had dinner ready as he, Yoruichi and Kenshin all dug in. "Were you able to examine the reishi from the park?" Kenshin asked as he sat back in his chair.

Urahara nodded. "You were right about it: It's designed to drain only a small amount of reiryoku at a time from everyone there," he said while scratching his head. "Each ride can only take a person's reiryoku once per day. However, each attraction had slightly different reishi."

"Meaning that there are probably hundreds of youma in the park using it as their feeding ground, each one in charge of a different attraction," Kenshin finished for him and Urahara nodded. "Then I guess the question is where does all that energy go? No way would they gather it just to throw it away."

"Perhaps it's something you need to ask the Sailor Guardians."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed briefly before he gave a sigh of defeat. "As much as I hate to say it you're probably right," he admitted as he started clearing the table. "I'll figure out a way to bring it up to them the next time I run into them."


	9. Gillian Assault

As the week rolled on Kenshin heard the other students talking about the Fall Festival. Since he had no clue what there was to celebrate about Fall he asked the girls who bombarded him with questions about 'why he didn't know about it' as well as volunteering him for several events.

On Thursday Ikkaku announced that their new uniforms had arrived in time for their first kendo match of the season. What he saw when he opened the box, however, caused a large vein in his temple to start throbbing.

"I don't think I've ever seen that much pink on one box," Kenshin commented as he pulled out one of the uniforms. The kimonos, all oversized, were all a very light pink with a floral design while the hakama were a bright – almost neon – pink. While the entire team, girls included, griped about the uniforms and asking what had happened Kenshin vanished into one of the locker rooms. By the time anyone noticed he was missing he was already back out, changed into the new uniform though with a few alterations.

He wore his white practice kimono with the new flowery one draped over his shoulders and a sakkat on his head. Ikkaku had to stop himself from laughing at the resemblance to a certain Captain but admitted that Kenshin had managed to make the entire debacle a little better.

"Hang on. Where did the hat come from?" Minako asked while the rest of the club grabbed their uniforms and went to change.

"You really hang on the little details, eh Aino?" Ikkaku asked with a smirk. "If I'm not mistaken that's mine isn't it, Suzaku?" Kenshin nodded, gripping the edge of the sakkat with his thumb and forefinger as he did so. The bald shinigami looked to Minako who just sighed in defeat before going to change. "You really do look like Captain Kyōraku, you know that?" Ikkaku told his squadmate when he was sure they were alone.

"He might be kinda nuts but you gotta admire the man's style," Kenshin said with a grin. "Now please tell me you had nothing to do with these abominations. As a courtesy I'm warning you that I _will_ punch you if you did."

"It must've been that ass of a Judo teacher," Ikkaku replied, grinding his teeth in anger. "I don't know what his problem is but I'm getting sick of it." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the rest of club came out, dressed like Kenshin minus the sakkat. Ikkaku looked over his team for a moment and - though his eyes were starting to hurt from all the pink - smirked, telling the team he thought they looked decent considering. "Oh yeah. I've got something for you as the captain of the team, Suzaku," Ikkaku remembered as he handed a bag with another uniform in it. "We ordered an extra uniform just in case but that's for you to wear instead."

"Hey, how come he doesn't have to wear pink?!" one of the other members complained as Kenshin looked in the bag.

"How the hell did you get this?" Kenshin whispered, trying to rein in his shock and mild anger. When he replied with 'a friend owed him a favor' Kenshin knew that he had gotten it from Urahara. Defeated, Kenshin went to change again and after a few minutes came back out.

The practice kimono and pink hakama were now replaced with a black shihakusho. He wore a white haori with black diamonds along the bottom over it with the kanji for "Fight Honorably" emblazoned on the back. He held the floral-patterned kimono and sakkat in one hand, mentally swearing up a verbal typhoon at both Ikkaku – for making him wear this – and Urahara – for giving Ikkaku the idea.

"Holy crap. That's actually pretty badass," one of the male students said, staring at Kenshin's outfit.

"That's actually what you were _supposed_ to have, minus the haori," Ikkaku told them as they turned to their sensei. "I ordered that ahead of time to make sure they'd look good. Unless you guys really want to go with pink and flowery I'm putting in a replacement order." The class as a whole, after seeing how Kenshin had made at least part of it bearable, asked to keep the current uniforms.

With that settled he told them that the first match would be held at the school leading to them dueling with each other in their new uniforms, to the snickering of many members of the judo club. Their coach, who was also the advanced mathematics teacher, seemed unnerved that neither Ikkaku nor his students seemed to even care about their uniforms. While her teammates mocked the kendo club Makoto seethed at seeing the club that she had believed to be respectable act like petulant children. But as they watched she witnessed Kenshin in a shihakusho with Minako at his side as if nothing was wrong.

 _"Could it be that's just what they were all supposed to wear?"_ she thought to herself. Minako and Kenshin stood across from each other, their shinai held out in front of them. On a command the two began to spar, seemingly equally matched until Kenshin made a last-second step back to avoid Minako's downswing to which he responded with a hard strike to the top of her head. _"And they're practicing without any of the safety equipment?! Is their coach out of his mind?_

Ikkaku called out the point with Minako shaking off the strike like it was nothing as both she and Kenshin returned to their positions. They went at it again, their movements quick and fluid though Kenshin took the point again with ease. Even from a distance Makoto could tell that he was holding back, whether because Minako was his teammate or he didn't respect her as an opponent she couldn't tell. The Sailor Guardian of Venus, however, had become far more skilled with a sword than Makoto would have imagined possible in such a short time.

"There's no way any of them were that good last year," one of the judo club members said. "I mean, maybe Kiba but that's it."

His statement made Makoto remember that, as far as the school and students were concerned, Kiba and his family had just up and moved. There'd been no warning nor word from them since the move and everyone around them just seemed to accept that's how it was. No questions, no investigation into Kiba's disappearance, they just accepted it. Makoto thought that it might be something that the shinigami were able to alter people's memories but was it something that could be done on such a scale?

"Alright, you lot. Back to practice," the judo teacher said and his club nodded as they continued their training regimen. He looked at the kendo club one last time, cursing them mentally before following his club.

When the match came that weekend the visiting team couldn't hide their amusement at the Juuban team's uniforms. Kenshin, Minako and their teammates seemed to shrug off the laughs seeing as they were more interested in showing those present what they could do. The other girls plus Yoruichi and Urahara were all present as well to support their friends. The others in the crowd watched as the Juuban team handily defeated their opponents, not giving up a single point in the process.

At the end of the meet the team gathered for a photo shoot for the local paper. "Hey, is that what I think it is, Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked quietly as she saw Kenshin's uniform. The straw-haired man smiled and nodded to which Yoruichi chuckled. "You are an evil man, you know that?"

"It's the thought that matters," Urahara replied. "Ikkaku seemed to get a kick out of it when I showed him." His expression hardened briefly. "By the way..."

"Yeah, I've been feeling it too lately. Like there's something massive on the way," Yoruichi answered, her tone serious. "It might be too much for them to handle on their own."

"Don't worry. I highly doubt their ally will just sit by and do nothing." He glanced down at Kenshin to see the boy smiling. It was an impressive façade but Urahara had known him long enough to know when something was bothering him. Of course it wasn't just the sense of foreboding but also with how close he and Minako had become, not to mention the group of friends the girls had dragged him into. Kenshin had agreed to the mission with the understanding that he wanted as little contact with the Sailor Guardians as necessary in their civilian forms as possible. However, much of the information that he'd gathered was a direct result of his being around them.

 _"I'm more curious to know where this sudden desire to be her boyfriend is coming from,"_ the former shinigami thought as he adjusted his hat. _"I wonder..."_

"You've got that look, Kisuke," Yoruichi said, interrupting Urahara's train of thought. He shrugged it off, saying he'd tell her about it later as they headed for the exit along with the crowd. The team went to the locker rooms and the other Sailor Guardians headed down to wait for their friends.

* * *

As the week rolled on it was clearly obvious to the girls that something was bothering Kenshin but he refused to say what. During P.E. and kendo Ikkaku gave Kenshin extra work to do to make up for his distracted thoughts but the fellow shinigami knew all too well what was on the boy's mind.

After school one evening all the girls met at Rei's temple for a 'study session', their euphemism for a Sailor Meeting. It was Rei who had called it this time and from the expression on her face something was seriously wrong.

"When I did my fire reading earlier I saw what I can only describe as an army on its way here," she explained when the others asked. "From the feeling I got I think they were Hollows but I've never seen any like these." She pushed a crude drawing into the center of their circle depicting a large black Hollow with a long pointed nose followed by several more just like it. At the bottom she had a small figure drawn as scale.

"How can something that huge even exist?" Usagi asked. "And just how do you beat something like that?"

"How close are they?" Ami asked along with Makoto.

Here Rei's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure," she admitted and the girls stared at her in shock. "Judging by the intensity of the reading it's like they're right outside our door but I should've felt something like this a while back." She turned to Minako whose expression was serious. "Now that I think about it Kenshin's been off lately."

"I was thinking the same thing," Minako said with a nod. "We know that he's spiritually aware but I didn't think it was on the same level as you, Rei. Then again..." She rubbed her chin in thought. "When he and I were ambushed by Kiba a few weeks back he knew the moment Kiba started following us. Then when we were attacked by the monster last week and he seemed to know that something was coming."

"And who can seriously fight like that guy can?" Makoto pointed out. "I've also seen him jump from roof to roof with a passenger like it was nothing." She set Rei's drawing down and crossed her arms over her chest. "So...I'm not the only one thinking that he's the shinigami that's been helping us, am I?" The looks on the other girls' faces was answer enough.

"Even if it's true, does it really matter?" Ami asked. "If he's just Kenshin then he's our friend. If he's the shinigami too then he's our friend _and_ ally."

"But which one is the real Kenshin?" Minako muttered, remembering the shinigami's words to her when they'd met at Ami's apartment. The Kenshin she knew would never say something so cold and callous...or at least that's what she hoped.

Before they could continue a wall of pressure slammed into them, effectively pinning them down. "Whoa! What is this? Why can't I move?" Rei said as she tried to stand.

"It's like someone dropped a house on me," Makoto added as she struggled to her feet.

"I'm disappointed in the lot of you. This level of power you should be able to handle easily by now."

They all turned to the door to see Kenshin in his shinigami form, his face obstructed by the scarlet scarf around his head. On his right side he wore a katana with a crescent moon tsuba sheathed in a crimson saya. The pressure around them let up as they all took deep gasps of air. "That's all beside the point right now," Kenshin told them, a cold edge to his voice as well as a sense of urgency. "You need to transform and follow me right now."

"Hang on a sec," Usagi said, stamping her foot on the ground now that she could stand. "We don't just do what you-"

They didn't even see Kenshin draw his sword but the tip was pressed against Usagi's throat. "We don't have time for this bullshit," he ordered them, narrowing his eyes. "Either transform and follow me or stay here out of the damn way. Understood?"

Usagi nodded and Kenshin sheathed his sword. Moments later they were all transformed and outside with him in front of a conspicuously glowing round door. Before the Guardians could ask what it was it opened and Kenshin stepped through. The girls hesitated for a moment before following suit. A flood of white light filled their vision and when it cleared they were on the outskirts of the city in a large open field.

"That was amazing!" Minako said as the door closed behind them and vanished. "So what's the rush?"

"That." Kenshin pointed to the opposite side of the field where the air was twisting and turning before being torn open. A massive white boot shook the ground as it stepped through, followed by the massive black cloak of a Gillian-class Menos Grande. The girls froze, recognizing the creature from Rei's drawing, but also at the sheer size of it. Right behind it were several other Gillian, numbering just over a dozen in total.

"But how..." Usagi started but the words caught in her mouth. "But how do we defeat something like that?"

"Just like you have other Hollows before them," Kenshin said simply. "If you stop being intimidated by their size you'll realize they're fairly manageable." A noise off to the side caught his attention and he turned to see another group of Gillian stepping out of a Garganta. "It seems whoever's behind this isn't joking around. I'll let you ladies handle these on your own." He vanished, reappearing among the second group of Gillians with his sword drawn. He let out a crazed laugh before letting loose.

"Well, I'm not about to let myself get shown up by some punk," Makoto said as lightning began to arc around her. "Supreme Thunder!" The bolt of lightning shot towards one of the Gillian but the Menos Grande shrugged it off like it was nothing. "Umm, okay. So I guess we better kick it up a notch then."

"Venus Love-Me Chains!" Minako shouted, scores of chains reaching out from behind her to bind several of the Gillian together. "Jupiter! Let 'em have it!"

"My pleasure. Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The wave of lighting arced around the Menos Grande, the chains around them amplifying the attack. Even with that, however, the Hollows seemed more stunned than injured. "You've gotta be kidding me. I thought that shinigami said we could handle these things."

"Their size makes them harder to manage than the smaller ones," Ami said as numbers flew across her visor. "In terms of raw strength, though, they're far weaker than the last Hollow we fought. We should focus on only one at a time in order to increase our effectiveness."

"No need to tell me twice. Sailor Venus, give me a boost," Rei said as a flaming bow and arrow appeared in her hands. She let loose a shot and a beam of orange light appeared alongside it, both of them spiraling around each other before fusing and slamming into the massive Hollow's mask with the resulting explosion blasting the head clean off. "Alright! One down."

A fog appeared around two more from Ami's Bubble Spray and another massive bolt of lightning arced through it. The Hollows roared in protest until a second blast of lightning shredded their bodies. "Man, these guys are tough," Makoto griped though she was grinning like a madwoman. "It's been a long time since we've had such a good fight that I'd forgotten what it feels like."

"Cool your jets, Jupiter," Usagi told her friend as she looked to see how Kenshin was doing. On his own he'd already cut down two Gillian with just his katana. "We might be able to take these guys on but he's on his own. Chances are we're gonna have to bail him out." As she turned back to the Hollows at hand they had spheres of crimson energy forming in their mouths. "That...that can't be good."

"It's the same attack that other Hollow used!" Ami warned as she held her arms out. A wave of bubbles spread out and formed into a curtain of ice. Bubbles kept flowing from her hands, forming an even thicker layer of ice as the Gillians fired their cero. The blasts slammed into the barrier, pressing down further and further through until they finally broke through. Just before it hit the girls a barrier of light went up, blocking the remaining wave of destruction.

"We're the Sailor Guardians!" Usagi shouted at the Gillian, her Eternal Tiare glowing. "You won't take us down that easily!" The lead Gillian responded by charging another Cero and a bead of sweat ran down Usagi's temple. "Whoa, hang on. It's not like that!"

"Your barrier can't take another hit like that, Sailor Moon!" Ami said just as multiple beams light streaked though the air, piercing the Gillian and one next to it, causing them to crash into the ground.

"I don't think...I can do that...again," Minako panted. "And that's...barely half."

"Don't tell me that this is the best you can do," Kenshin said, appearing next to Usagi, causing most of the girls to jump in surprise. His sword and shihakusho were both covered in blood though none of it was his. Ami and Usagi turned to where his battle had been to see the Gillian cut to shreds. "Think of them like trees that fire powerful death beams."

"There's a big damn difference between these things and trees!" Rei shouted at him as she fired several more rounds from her bow.

"You know, that's not a bad way of thinking," Usagi said with a smile, ignoring Rei's protest. She swung the Eternal Tiare around and several discs formed in the air. "Let's chop some of these bad boys down! Moon Tiara Barrage!" She pointed the Eternal Tiare at the Gillian and the discs went flying towards them, some of them just cutting deep and eliciting roars of pain while other lopped off entire limbs or, in the case of one, their heads.

"Bubble Spray Freeze!" Ami shouted, aiming for the wounds of the cut Gillian. The bubbles entered the cuts and from there the Gillian began to freeze solid. One of them began to crack under its own weight and chunks of frozen Hollow fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

As Kenshin watched the girls fight he could feel his anger boiling to the surface. Was this all these humans were capable even when facing an opponent such as a Gillian? _"I suppose being able to fight the Gillian up close is more of an advantage than I thought,"_ he told himself as he let out a sigh.

Usagi let loose another Moon Tiara Barrage but this one broke up when they hit the Menos Grande, dealing no damage. "I can't keep this up," she whined, falling to her knees. Ami was the next to drop followed by Rei. Judging by their expressions Makoto and Minako weren't far behind but both were too stubborn to give in. "Hey, aren't you going to help at all?" Usagi asked the shinigami as he sighed again.

"I suppose I don't have a choice," he admitted, drawing his sword. His eyes narrowed on the Gillian as they tightened their formation. "Well well, looks like someone's giving the big guys directions. These things aren't smart enough to think strategically." His grip on his zanpakutō tightened, knowing that he couldn't just use the sealed state like last time. He could probably use a single blast of kidō to wipe them out but If they were being directed then giving away the full depth of his power would come back to bite him. "To think that a bunch of damn Gillian are forcing me to use this," he said disdainfully, spinning the katana in his hand. "Very well. End their pathetic existence, Hisan Kusari!"

The girls watched as Kenshin's katana glowed brightly and began to change its shape. A second blade formed in his right hand before both twisted into oversized kusari-gama, the tsuba from the katana now completely gone. The chains extended into the sleeves of his shihakusho and the light dissipated. The tsuka was almost twice as long, each leading to the blades of the kusari-gama which were shaped like scythes.

"Whoa, that's pretty badass," Makoto said.

Kenshin said nothing, using shunpo to put him at the same level as the Menos Grande. As it raised its hand to swat him away he let go of his zanpakutō, letting out the chains before grabbing them and spinning around, slicing up the Gillian like it was nothing. He swung them again, each latching onto the side of a Gillian's head, and he pulled himself in, slamming his foot into the Hollow's mask and forming a massive crater. He heard the sound of a charging Cero behind him and vanished just as it fired, incinerating the Gillian he'd just been on. He reappeared in the middle of the remaining Gillian.

"I'm gonna regret this later," Kenshin muttered to himself as he began focusing his energy. "Oh well. Hadō #33 – Sōkatsui!" He spun like a top, letting out Hisan Kusari as blue flames rushed down its chains. With a roar Kenshin gave one last spin and a halo of blue-white flame reached out, slicing through the Gillian and searing the wounds shut at the same time.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Makoto said as the Sailor Guardians stared in awe. "He took them out like it was nothing while we barely took out half."

"He is trained for this kind of thing, I guess," Minako offered just as Kenshin landed. Hisan Kusari glowed once more, turning back into a katana so Kenshin could sheath him. His arms were smoking even through his shihakusho and, though they couldn't see it, he was in a great deal of pain. "Are you okay? I don't think your body is supposed to smoke."

"I'm fine," Kenshin lied, gently slapping her hands away. "What I'm more concerned about is the fact that you Guardians should've been able to handle a small group of Gillian like that with ease. Instead I had to come bail your asses out."

"Hey, we didn't ask for your help!" Rei fumed, getting in the shinigami's face. Kenshin said nothing; he just put a finger to her forehead and gently pushed, causing Rei to fall back onto the ground.

"You wasted your energy while fighting them, leaving yourself open to annihilation," he explained as Rei tried to stand on her own. "Out of all of you Sailors Moon and Mercury probably managed the best." When Rei muttered about them not fighting Kenshin grabbed her by the scruff of her uniform, lifting her up until they were eye-to-eye. "If it wasn't for their quick thinking we wouldn't be having this conversation, you stupid brat! You all owe them your lives."

"That's enough." Usagi firmly gripped Kenshin's shoulder, her eyes hard as she stared at the shinigami. "I don't know how you do things where you come from but that's not how we treat each other here. We do what we do for each other because we're friends, not out of some sense of obligation. Sailor Mars doesn't owe us anything for save her life; we're teammates so it's expected."

"This is why I can't stand you humans. You think everything is about love and friendship," Kenshin said, releasing Rei. "That's how the weak think. If you're not willing to fight then you'll just end up getting yourself or someone else killed." The sound of another Garganta opening stopped him before he could say anything else. "Another one? Hmph, good. I could use the exercise."

"Well I've got my second wind now so I say we bring out the big guns," Minako said confidently though it faded when Kenshin said nothing. "Hey what's wrong, Mr. Shinigami?"

"Those aren't ordinary Gillian," he said through clenched teeth. From where he stood he could see that none of their masks were the same, indicating they were all capable of evolving into Adjuchas and also more powerful than their counterparts. "Hey, girl," he said, turning to Minako and drawing his sword. "If you've got your second wind then give me some supporting fire. These things aren't to be screwed around with."

As the words left his mouth the ground began to quake as a ringed sphere of energy tore through the ground, slamming into one of the Gillian. The resulting explosion consumed several more in addition to the one hit. A pressurized wave of water sliced through several more, all of them letting out roars of pain as they died. "Is that who I think it is?" Usagi asked as a searing white light surrounded the remaining Gillian, followed by a massive explosion that incinerated the Menos Grande. "It is! It's the other Sailor Guardians!"

 _"Other?"_ Kenshin thought as the dust began to clear. _"Are there more than just these five?"_ He got his answer as three figures walked through the dust cloud, each girl wearing a sailor uniform like the other Guardians. The tallest of them, a woman with short tan hair and a yellow ribbon on a blue uniform, stood in the middle while another with turquoise hair and teal uniform stood on her left. On her right was a much smaller girl with black-violet hair and a blue-purple sailor uniform carrying a large glaive. "Nine planets, nine Guardians," Kenshin muttered to himself, cursing his oversight. "Which means that one decided to either not step forward or not bother coming."

"So who's this guy?" Sailor Uranus asked, pointing her thumb at Kenshin. The shinigami seemingly ignored her as he sheathed his zanpakutō again.

"It's a long story," Usagi replied with a sigh. "Is that the last of these Gillian-things?"

"I'll say 'yes' for the time being," Kenshin answered as he closed his eyes, sensing out the area and attempting to find the one who'd been issuing the orders. "Damn, slippery bastard got away when these three arrived."

"We have names, you know," Haruka Tenou stated, putting her face right in Kenshin's even though he didn't budge. After a moment she backed down, impressed by the shinigami's nerve. "Since there aren't any more of those things coming I figure we've got some time to sit down and figure a few things out."

"And what makes you think I care, girl?" was Kenshin's response, causing a vein to bulge in Haruka's temple.

Michiru Kaiou, Sailor Neptune, placed her hand on Haruka's shoulder. "He's egging you on, Sailor Uranus," she told her partner. "Besides, I don't think we're in much shape after taking on those creatures." Haruka realized that Michiru wasn't just holding her back but also supporting herself.

"There was something...wrong with those creatures," Hotaru Tomoe, Sailor Saturn, added. "It felt like there was some unquenchable hunger in those beasts." She turned to Kenshin. "Care to fill us in?"

"Not particularly," he replied as he started to walk past them. Just as he was about to step past Hotaru she lowered her Silence Glaive to stop him. "Little girl, don't draw your weapon against me unless you plan to use it."

The other Sailor Guardians panicked, waving their hands to try and tell Hotaru not to take him up on it, knowing that between the two of them there wouldn't be much of Tokyo left afterwards. "I don't get you," Hotaru said, her glaive unmoving. "You had no issue helping Sailor Moon and the others but you act more like it was an inconvenience. If that's the case why didn't you just let them die?"

"Because I was ordered to not let that happen," he replied simply. "So long as they don't die I couldn't care less what happens to them." He looked the Soldier of Silence in the eye, his gaze cold and hard. "But that's them, not you. And since I'm feeling so generous I'll give you one more chance to remove your weapon before I make you."

"Just who the hell are you, pal!?" Haruka asked angrily, grabbing him by his kimono. Her tone changed when she felt the blade of his zanpakutō against her neck.

"Someone who'll cut your throat open if you don't let go of me right now," he replied. Haruka looked him in the eyes for several seconds before realizing that he wasn't joking. When she released him he sheathed his zanpakutō once more and turned to leave. "I appreciate the value you place on your life." With that he was gone.

"Hey! Aren't you at least going to take us back?!" Rei shouted into the space where he'd been. "Damn that guy!"

"I knew he had a stick up his ass but this is going way too far," Makoto said, unconsciously rubbing her throat. "To threaten you like that, Haruka. You okay?"

"A little shaken but, yeah, I'm fine," was her response as she plopped down on the ground. "So what on earth is going on? First these giant monsters then some psychopath with a sword. Just what exactly did we miss?"

"Well, since we've got a bit of a walk home we'll explain on the way," Usagi said as their transformations faded. "Man, my mom is gonna kill me."

It was after eleven o'clock by the time they arrived back at the shrine and by that time the Outer Guardians were filled in with everything they knew so far about Hollows and shinigami. Usagi had also managed to come up with, what she felt at least, a reasonable excuse for her mother as to why she'd been out so late. By the time they climbed the stairs they were exhausted from their ordeal that night and said their good nights before heading home.

* * *

"Crap! I'm late!" Minako shrieked as she flew out of her house, toast in mouth and her neckerchief half-tied. She sped past Kenshin who was in casual clothes carrying several boxes out of Urahara's store and into the bed of the truck.

"Yo', Mr. Whiskers! Where's the fire?" he shouted. Minako froze when she heard her nickname and she quickly ran backwards.

"Why aren't you at school already? Do you have any idea how late we are?" she asked frantically.

Kenshin just scratched his head, oblivious as to why she was panicked. "So what, did you _not_ feel those earthquakes last night?" he asked her. "The school cancelled morning classes today just in case it was a symptom of something else. We don't have to be in until after noon." Minako stared at her boyfriend, completely baffled at what she was hearing. "You slept right through it last night, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess," she said, knowing she couldn't tell him what the quakes actually were. "So...I'm freaking out over nothing?"

"Well, not exactly," Kenshin admitted as he looked her over. "The neckerchief is one thing but I would at least consider buttoning your shirt correctly before running around in public." Minako blinked several times before looking down, now seeing that she had missed several buttons and put others in the wrong holes resulting in her chest being semi-visible.

The shriek she let out temporarily caused those in the immediate area to lose some of their hearing for several minutes. Kenshin let her into the shop so that she could fix her uniform in private. He closed the shop door behind him and let out a heavy sigh before returning to work. When Minako came back out her uniform was as it should be though she was still blushing. "I'm really sorry about all this," she apologized, hanging her head.

Kenshin pulled her close and stroked the top of her head. "Well, I suppose the right thing for me to do would be to make an ass out of myself so that you can't be the only one embarrassed," he told her. Her body seemed to relax as she squeezed his chest. "You gonna be okay now, Mr. Whiskers?"

"I had almost forgotten about that name and I was kinda hoping you had too," Minako admitted with a smile. "Just don't let the other girls in on it. They'll never let me hear the end of it." Kenshin promised that he would do his best but the smile he gave her didn't inspire much confidence in the young blonde. As soon as he was finished with the boxes Kenshin made them both lunch before they headed off to school for a shortened day.


	10. Interim

The Fall Festival officially started at the end of October and as they went into November the weather began to shift into overcast and unusually cold for this time of the year. Just as the Festival mood was filling the school Kenshin's homeroom learned of two new transfer students they were getting: Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaiou. It didn't take long for the guys to learn that both girls were off-limits though it took a furiously blushing Minako to explain to Kenshin exactly why. For their after school activities Haruko joined the Judo club with Makoto, who was happy to have a friendly face among the group, and Michiru joined the orchestra and quickly became the lead violinist.

The Festival itself was a weeklong celebration put on by the school and the various afterschool clubs put on either a performance – like the orchestra's concert – or a service – like the swim team's Maid Café. At several points Minako was seen dragging several of the kendo boys away from said café, including her boyfriend, on more than one occasion. The Kendo Club had set up a head-polishing booth for bald men and a hair salon as well though the only haircut they gave was a clean shave, leaving several surprised patrons looking like Ikkaku. Each of the members were dressed in their uniforms, including Kenshin in his Captain's uniform, and both boys and girls wore skullcaps that had been polished to a shine so that they each looked like their coach.

The Judo Club, meanwhile, was offering the 'Hunk Café' – the male equivalent of the Maid Café – and, like Minako before him, Kenshin could be seen dragging the female kendo members out, including Minako, several times over the course of the Festival. The Cross Country Club had chosen a Run-a-thon where donors could sponsor a runner and the proceeds would go to a local charity. Usagi uttered several curses the first few times she'd passed the Hunk Café but eventually blocked it out as she focused on running.

At the end of the week the Festival ended and life moved on for the school as well as Kenshin and the Sailor Guardians. Despite the fact that every time he met the Outer Guardians they bickered like they had their first time he found himself warming up to the Inner Guardians, even enjoying their company whether he was in his gigai or shinigami form. By the time the beginning of December arrived he wasn't sure if his urge to protect the girls came from his orders or his own desires.

* * *

"A Christmas present?" Minako asked as she and Kenshin walked home from kendo practice hand-in-hand. She scratched her chin as she stared up into the grey skies and falling snowflakes. "Hmm. Well, I suppose a few pictures of you in that Hunk Café outfit would be a good start."

"You know damn well you already have those," he reminded her as his cheeks flushed. "I'm being serious. I have no idea what to get you and I want it to be something memorable. It'll be our first Christmas together, after all."

"That's true," Minako admitted as she looked at the ground, trying to think of something. It wasn't as if she was in any better position. She'd been questioning the girls all week as to what she should get for Kenshin but so far none of them had any good ideas. They knew a little of his cover story but that was about it. He'd shown some interest in Western music but they all wanted to give him something from the heart, something that only friends would know to get for each other. In all the time they'd spent thinking about what to get him it hadn't occurred to her that he might want to know the same for her. "I'm actually drawing a blank there," she said after several moments.

"Well, is there something that you really want that would only be appropriate coming from me?" he asked.

Minako's cheeks flushed. "Well, there is one thing," she admitted bashfully. "I know it might seem kinda silly but..." She gulped nervously before looking Kenshin in the eyes. "I'd really like my first kiss to be on Christmas."

Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with surprise. For a brief moment he saw an obscured face with long golden hair repeating Minako's words. The woman then smiled at him and went to say something else, her words drowned out by Minako. "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded when she asked him though by her expression it was easy to guess that she didn't believe his lie. "It's just...you sound a lot like someone I used to know."

Minako stared at him, unsure of what to make of his confession. "Wait, so someone else you know asked for that too?" she asked as uncertainty filled her chest.

Kenshin let out a sigh as he tried to relax. "It was a long time ago, before I knew anything about being in a relationship," he admitted. "She was a childhood friend, probably just telling me that because anyone else would've just thought she was crazy." He smirked. "Well, she _was_ crazy but that's beside the point." When Minako asked what he meant by 'used to know' he replied, "Oh, it's nothing dramatic. I just haven't talked to her in a long time is all." Despite his assurance Minako could see the sad look in his eyes that told her there was more to it.

"Well, I'll put some more thought into it. Maybe I can come up with something that's a little easier," she said as they came upon the Urahara Shop. She kissed Kenshin on the cheek, and he likewise, before heading for home.

* * *

"Kenshin!"

A young boy with tousled black hair turned at the sound of his name. He looked to be ten or eleven years old and was dressed in a tattered kimono and shorts. The other child calling his name was a girl his age with bobbed blonde hair and a smile on her face. "Yeah, what do you want, Saihana?" he asked gruffly as he eyed the food on the market stand. She responded by whacking him on the head.

"C'mon, you know better, stupid boy," the little girl replied, her face puffed up. "If she catches you again she'll tan your hide so bad we could make shoes out of your butt."

"A kid's gotta eat," he muttered only to have Saihana offer him a loaf of bread. "Huh? But how did you...?" He looked at his friend to see her grinning ear-to-ear. "So why did you hit me just for your crime?"

"It's not a crime if you never get caught. And you always get caught," she told him mischievously as they ducked into an alley where they split the bread. As they ate Saihana couldn't help but stare at the stale bread, her train of thought interrupted when Kenshin asked what was wrong through a mouthful of food. "It's just weird, I guess. I thought souls weren't supposed to get hungry."

"Only the really strong ones need to," Kenshin told her as he finished off his half of the loaf. "Besides, it's not like we eat that much, right?" Saihana seemed to accept the answer as she munched on her meal.

* * *

"Kenshin!"

An older version of the boy looked over his shoulder while trying to balance the boxes in his arms. A blonde girl with shoulder-length hair came running towards him, her red hakama and clean white kimono in stark contrast to their surroundings. "So you finally got admitted," the teenage boy said as he set down his load. "How on earth did you get in?"

"They said I had real talent," Saihana replied, puffing her chest out. "I might even be able to score a seated position in the Gotei 13 if I keep at the rate I have been." Her expression turned serious, an unusual look for her. "So when are you gonna apply?"

Kenshin shrugged. "Meh, being a shinigami sounds like too much work," he said, earning a whack from his friend. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Stupid boy. If you don't become a shinigami too how are ever gonna keep the promise you made me?" Kenshin froze as his entire face turned scarlet. "You do remember the promise, right?" Saihana asked him, staring intently at him with a soft smile. "You promised that after we both became shinigami that you would-"

"I remember, damn it!" Kenshin said cutting her off, his face still red. "It's just that..."

"Do you still think that you're weaker than me?" Saihana's question cut right to the bone but his defeated sigh was all the answer she needed. "How many times do I need to tell you, stupid boy, that you're the strong one between the two of us? There's not a doubt in my mind that they'd let you in if you just applied."

"But I'm not strong," Kenshin told her sullenly. "I mean, you lunge head-first into danger while I'm too much of a coward to even risk thinking about it. If a Hollow were to attack I don't think I'd even be able to move, let alone fight it."

"This coming from the kid who got his butt whooped at least twice a week when he was a kid for stealing from the stores." Saihana's arms were crossed over her chest as she stared at her friend with a curious gaze. "What happened to you, Kenshin?"

"Next week, I promise," he told her, knowing that she would hound him if he didn't follow through. Saihana sighed and shook her head, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before heading back to the Shinigami Academy. "Crazy girl," he muttered with a smile as his heart rate picked up a bit. "Still, I must just as crazy if I agreed to marry her on Christmas."

* * *

Kenshin groaned as he rejoined the waking world, throwing the covers off his bed and spinning around to sit on the edge. Still groggy, he went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea before walking outside. It was still dark, well before dawn, and the cold air sharpened his mind in no time while the tea kept his insides warm.

"Can't sleep?" Urahara asked from the roof of the shop.

"Strange question coming from the guy sitting on the roof in the middle of winter," Kenshin replied, jumping up to join the shopkeeper. "Nah, I was sleeping fine. Just some freaky dream."

"Is that why you kept saying Saihana's name?"

Kenshin's gaze fell as his thoughts drifted back to the dream. "I haven't dreamt of her in ages," he admitted. "I'm just glad that this dream was a peaceful one and not..." He gripped the teacup as he pushed the thought from his mind. "I never got around to thanking you for what you did back then. Well, what you and Yoruichi did."

"I'm not sure you were in any mindset back then to thank us," was Urahara's reply. "You were lucky enough to have survived considering…" Urahara bit his tongue at the last second. "Sorry, didn't mean to dredge up bad memories. So what brought on this reflection of her?" Kenshin took a moment to sip his tea before explaining what Minako had asked for as her gift from him. "I see. My guess is that you're starting to have a hard time separating yourself from the assignment. What started off as a way to use Minako has turned into something else."

"Every time I have to lie to her about what I've been doing it feels like someone's trying to rip my guts out," Kenshin explained. "It wasn't bad at first and I was able to ignore it. But now it's just agonizing." To Urahara's suggestion of just telling Minako the truth Kenshin replied, "To be honest I've been debating it. On the one hand I don't know that she'd be able to forgive me for some of the things that I've said over the last few months or the fact that I've drawn my sword on Usagi and Haruka." His gaze lifted for a moment. "Well, more Usagi than anything. Haruka can just shove off."

"I take it you don't get along with Sailor Uranus?"

"That's putting it mildly, even in her civilian form," Kenshin explained, stretching out as much as he could. "I don't know if it's just me or she just has it out for all men everywhere. She gives 'hardass' a whole new meaning. Michiru's not too bad. A little aloof but nice otherwise." He stared at the sky for several moments before asking, "You think Soul Society would blow a gasket if I broke my cover intentionally?"

"It was your choice all along if you wanted to keep the act up," Urahara reminded him as they both jumped down from the roof, landing on the ground with ease. "I'm certain they'll have something to say but nothing worth worrying about in the long run." As they went back inside Kenshin agreed to give it more thought over break but in the meantime he had other school-related things on his mind.

* * *

"You disappoint me once again, Jadeite," Empress Beryl said, her nails digging into the arms of her throne. Her general stood in front of her, the latest of his most recent schemes having burned out spectacularly. "Time and time again the Sailor Guardians and this shinigami have made a fool out of you and the youma I put under your care." She tightened her fist as the air around her began to ripple with raw power. "Give me one reason I shouldn't turn you into a pile of ash."

"This, my Empress," Jadeite said, levitating two gems over to her. One was dull and lifeless and the other pulsed with energy, prompting the dark ruler to ask what they were. "It would be simpler to show you." He called over one of the youma and handed him a dull gem, ordering him to crush it. He did and the pieces of the gem slowly disintegrated. Beryl watched, unsure of what he was trying to prove. He then handed a glowing gem to the same youma and he crushed it as well. This time, however, a swell of energy ran through and around him. His muscles bulged, pieces of armor forming on his biceps and calves. Long serrated blades erupted from the tops of his forearms, blood dripping down them. A stream of steam escaped his jaws as he adjusted to his new body.

"So he's gained a small amount of power," Beryl said, hiding the fact that she was impressed. Jadeite told her that wasn't all before drawing a rapier and slicing the youma in half. Her eyes widened at his action but before she could say anything the youma's top half pulled itself back up onto its legs and the flesh reconnected seamlessly.

"Using these gems we can give both the youma and Arrancar an unbelievable regenerative ability as well as tailor them with specific abilities," Jadeite explained. "I've already developed several Arrancar like this. One is designed with the ability to alter human perception – a useful weapon against the Sailor Guardians – while another is able to create webs of energy that can trap and drain a large group of humans. Another is designed to not only control Hollows and other youma but she is also able to analyze information from multiple battles simultaneously. The other two have had all their natural abilities enhanced far beyond what Minerva Kialla was able to do on her own. And this isn't a temporary gain nor is it a one-off improvement. Multiple gems can enhance their abilities far beyond what they would have been capable of naturally."

Empress Beryl smiled and nodded at Jadeite's accomplishment. "I take it you were able to learn a great deal from the Sailor Guardians' encounter with the Gillian," she said.

"Minerva's promise came through spectacularly," he answered though there was a touch of anger. "We've seen the extent of the Guardians' powers as well as learned a little about this shinigami ally of theirs. Personally I believe he is the bigger threat."

"Both I and Minerva agree," Beryl told him. "Based on the information you provided us we need to eliminate him before we can do anything about the Sailor Guardians. Use whatever means necessary to find and eliminate him." Jadeite bowed and began to exit the main chamber. "And Jadeite," Beryl added, stopping her general in his tracks. "If you fail this time I will ensure that there is nothing left of you to resurrect, is that understood?" With a gulp he nodded and left the chamber.

Slow footsteps from behind her drew Beryl's attention. "Is it wise to place such a heavy responsibility on him, my Empress?" a deep male voice asked, obviously in a great deal of pain.

"You've just awoken, Nephrite. I won't risk sending you or the others out before you're fully recovered," she told him. "Besides, this is Jadeite's trial. If he is successful then he will continue to serve. If not he will die, either by my hand or the shinigami's." Nephrite nodded, his curiosity sated as he went back to his room.

* * *

All the girls, including Hotaru, were gathered at Minako's house for their meeting since her parents were off visiting Minako's grandparents and would likely be there until just before Christmas. Minako had made a mental note to herself that it was unusual for her father to use this much of his paid vacation time and for her mother to be encouraging him but it gave her time to decide how to tell them she'd had a boyfriend for the last few months. For that matter she was still working up the nerve to tell her friends and based on the conversation so far she figured that was a long way off.

"I'm telling you that no normal human can fight the way he can," Haruka insisted, referring to the civilian Kenshin. "I mean, what are the chances that a martial arts and kendo master just happen to start coming to school with you?"

"You're not asking anything that we haven't asked already, Haruka," Rei replied with her arms across her chest. "Besides, we looked into Kenshin's backstory and it's legit. We have names, pictures, even the video of the fight that ended that poor girl's life." Her posture relaxed some. "I can't believe I'm saying this but Kenshin is Kenshin. If he also happens to be a shinigami then, well..."

"You're not forgetting that he threatened both me and the Princess, are you?" Rei bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

"Maybe it'd be better to focus on who's after us now," Minako offered, wanting to stop the conversation. She didn't like the idea any more than they did that Kenshin may have threatened their lives. "We know for sure that some of these guys are youma, right?"

"The last time we fought youma was against the Dark Kingdom," Ami replied with a nod. "But we annihilated them, didn't we? Usagi destroyed Queen Beryl and Metalia with the Silver Crystal." Michiru offered that they may just be fragments. "No, I disagree. These attacks are too organized, too centered on us. This feels like revenge, not lashing out blindly. And we haven't seen any evidence of them gathering energy from humans."

"So let's say that somehow, someway, the Dark Kingdom survived," Makoto said, nibbling on a cookie. "How are they mixed up with Hollows and Arrancars?" Not long after their encounter with the Gillian Captain Kurotsuchi had contacted Ami and she'd asked him about it. His answer had been disconcerting but it had helped nonetheless.

"Hollows are created from souls," Usagi said, remembering what Ami had told them after her first encounter with the shinigami Captain. "What if their souls somehow were turned into Hollows and they became Arrancar?" A visible shudder went through the Inner Guardians while the three Outer just stared at them. "Queen Beryl and Metalia, in the same body, turned into an Arrancar. Now that's a scary thought."

"That still doesn't explain how they're getting Hollows and Arrancars on their side," Michiru said. "Or where they're getting all this power from. Those Gillian were the strongest that we've fought so far."

"And the shinigami said that was unusual," Minako added, rubbing her chin. "If the Dark Kingdom is really behind this and they have a way to control Hollows what if they intentionally sent a weak Arrancar after me and Kenshin? Then they come after us with the Gillian."

"The Gillian could also have been used to see how our powers have evolved in the years since we fought them," Ami said, getting where Minako was going. "If they have that kind of army at their disposal we may be biting off more than we can chew. We need some way to increase our abilities without leaving the city vulnerable."

"Yeah, well good luck," Haruka said as she stood up and stretched. "The closest thing to a training camp that we'll get a chance at it is during the Christmas Break." Haruka went to thank Minako for inviting them over but the blonde teen was deep in thought. "What's up?"

"Is there any way we could try using the shinigami's techniques?" Minako asked, looking at Ami. The rest of the group seemed surprised at the suggestion but Ami closed her eyes, trying to think it over.

"If we knew how the attacks were structured then I don't see why not," she said after several moments. "I'll run some simulations and see if it's possible." Ami smiled at her friend. "It's not like you think about the enemy's movements like this, Minako." Minako blinked several times, a bit lost as to what Ami meant.

"I think what Ami means to say is that you usually have no clue about these things," Rei translated and Ami blushed. "It's not a bad thing, it's just weird to see you thinking like this."

"Kenshin's probably rubbing off on me," she admitted bashfully. "He encourages us during tournaments to watch every match and try to predict how each fighter will move and what the appropriate counter would be." She smiled as her hand brushed past the hair pins he'd given her.

"So are you ever gonna ask him to be your boyfriend?" Rei asked, her mind finally off their Sailor duties. Makoto nodded and both stared intently at Minako who scooted back a little.

"Cuz if you don't ask him then I will," Makoto said matter-of-factly and Rei immediately started arguing with her.

"You're welcome to try but I don't think he'll go for it," Minako said and all eyes were on her. "I may have asked him hypothetically a while ago and he said that he'd turn us down because we're his friends. Dating any one of us would just complicate things."

"So you did ask him," Rei said but Minako reiterated that she hadn't, which was technically true. "Be that as it may you spend an awful lot of time with him."

"No more than the rest of you. Besides, we're in the Kendo Club together and he lives just down the street." She crossed her arms across her chest in a mild act of defiance. "Also, he's a nice guy and a lot of fun to hang out with. Why wouldn't I spend time with him?"

"And not invite us?" Usagi asked, playing the devil's advocate. "C'mon, Minako. It's obvious you like the guy. Just ask him out. Who knows, maybe he'll say 'yes' to you and not these two." Rei and Makoto turned on Usagi, causing the other girls to laugh.


	11. Truth

As Christmas came closer and closer Minako found herself unable to find a more appropriate present idea for Kenshin to use. She also noticed that the closer the holiday came the more disinterested Kenshin seemed though he did an effective job covering it up when the others were around. Though Minako asked him about several times Kenshin politely refused her, saying, "It's not something I really want to talk about." He'd then look at her, his green eyes so soft they were almost quivering. She admitted it was pathetic but after seeing that display there was no way that she was able to press him about it.

As the month wore on the cold seemed to bite down right to the bone. The girls all admitted that this winter in particular was bad. On more than one occasion all of the girls, except Haruka and Michiru, waited for Kenshin and Minako after school to stop at Urahara's store where the owner would, more often than not, have hot chocolate waiting for them. Luna routinely tried to scold the girls for spending so much time there but Artemis would step in each time.

"We've probably been there twice as much as they have," he'd remind her. "If there were anything suspicious about the guy don't you think we'd have found out by now?"

The youma and Hollows, unfortunately, weren't hindered by the cold weather and continued to attack. While the girls all wished there was a winter version of their Sailor uniforms the energy they generated kept them plenty warm when fighting. Still, fighting in a skirt during the winter, no matter how warm they stayed, just seemed impractical to them.

It was a few days before Christmas when Minako stopped by Urahara's shop. The weather outside had turned nasty in just the few minutes that she's been out and she was relieved when Kenshin opened the door, commenting that she must be out of her mind to be out in the weather. "I wanted to see what you were doing tomorrow," she admitted, blushing a little. "I mean, I probably could've just called but I wanted to see you too."

Kenshin let out an exasperated sigh, pulling Minako in for a hug and after a moment she returned the gesture. "What am I going to do with you, Mr. Whiskers?" he asked. Minako smiled and rested her head against Kenshin's shoulder. While she hadn't been fond of the nickname at first it had eventually grown on her and as long as the girls never found out about it she was happy to be called 'Mr. Whiskers' every day. After a bit Kenshin let go to return to what he was working on in the kitchen. He brought a hot cup of tea over to Minako and joined her at the table. "So what's tomorrow?" he asked, reminding her of the reason she'd come over.

"The school is putting on a big costume party for the students and staff," she explained. "Normally the girls and I don't go but we thought it might be fun to try it this year. And, well..."

"...you were hoping that I'd want to come with," Kenshin finished for her and Minako nodded. "Did you have any idea of what we can do for outfits? We don't have much in the way of time." He looked out the window to see the storm was getting worse. "And I don't think shopping is going to be an option."

Minako looked outside as well and her face fell. "How am I gonna get home?" she wondered to herself. "We still have school tomorrow and all my homework is back at the house."

"With the way it's coming down out there I don't think school is something we need to worry about." A car door shutting outside caught their attention as both Urahara and Yoruichi hurried in. They both said 'hi' to Kenshin and Minako before wandering off into the back of the store to warm up. "Huh. With the way the weather's been I wasn't sure if they'd make it back tonight."

Minako glanced at the clock, surprised at how late it was. She also looked outside and knew that she wasn't getting back home any time soon. "Umm, can I crash here tonight?" she asked, her cheeks burning. "By the time this storm lets up I won't be able to get enough sleep at home."

Kenshin felt his answer catch in his throat before he mentally kicked himself. He quickly reminded himself that it would be more or less the same as when she had stayed before, albeit less sick. "No problem," he said, finishing off his tea and standing up. "You can take my bed and I'll use one of the futons. And before you object I'm not putting my girlfriend, let alone a guest, on the floor."

Her argument preempted, Minako nodded and followed Kenshin. Yoruichi lent her a pair of pajamas, though the dark-skinned woman tried to get Minako to wear something more sensuous than a t-shirt and pants. She was still blushing from some of the outfits that Yoruichi had tried to get her to wear when she opened Kenshin's door where he had just finished setting up a futon. They said their respective good nights before crawling into bed.

When Kenshin woke the next morning Minako was cuddled up next to him and her blanket on top of his. _"I guess it was colder than I thought last night,"_ he thought, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. Minako responded with a happy sigh and a smile. "C'mon, we should probably get up," he said out loud.

Minako gave a murmur of protest but after a moment got up with him. After getting dressed Minako said that she needed to go home and take care of Artemis, who was no doubt worrying about her. When Kenshin was sure she was out of earshot he looked to Urahara and Yoruichi. "That storm last night..." he started but Yoruichi shook her head.

"I know what you're thinking but no, it was a natural storm," she answered. "This winter really is just worse than most." She took a long drink from her coffee before staring at Kenshin, a serious expression on her face. "If I might say so, Kenshin, you and Minako seem to be getting pretty close. Once your assignment is finished everyone that knows you here will have their memories erased." She narrowed her eyes, staring at the young shinigami. "Minako will never know you even existed once this is all over."

"You think I haven't thought about that?" Kenshin told her, glaring at Yoruichi. "There's not a day that goes by that I'm not trying to find a way to stop that from happening. I'd even be willing to become human if it meant her not having to forget me." He slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the drywall. "But there's nothing to be done. No matter what I do it always ends the same and there's nothing I can do to stop it!" After several breaths he began to calm down, removing his hand from the wall. "In over a hundred years not a damn thing has changed. I'm still weak, unable to protect those important to me."

At this both Urahara and Yoruichi looked away, knowing exactly what Kenshin was referring to. "Minako's not Saihana, Kenshin," Urahara finally said. "Nor is what happened to Saihana in any way your fault." Kenshin didn't respond, choosing to spend the better part of the day in his room. He didn't say anything until Minako came back to the store to see if Kenshin was still interested in going to the party.

"I'm game but we still don't have anything to wear," Kenshin reminded her, causing Minako to retreat into her thoughts.

"I might be able to help there," Urahara said from around the corner, his fan waving in the air and a smile on his face. Kenshin felt his stomach seize up, knowing that the former shinigami had something up his sleeve. "Minako, why don't you let Yoruichi help you get your costume set up and I'll help with Kenshin's." Minako nodded, curious to see what the shopkeeper had planned, and stepped into the back room where Yoruichi was waiting.

"Just what are you up to, Urahara?" Kenshin asked only to have Urahara's glowing hand in his face. "Damn...you..." he uttered before falling to the ground.

"Just helping you have a little fun, Kenshin," Urahara answered, throwing Kenshin's unconscious form over his shoulder.

When Kenshin finally came to his head was throbbing uncontrollably. He sat up out of the chair he was in with his hand to his temple, willing the pounding to go away on its own. When that failed he stumbled towards the bathroom and grabbed a couple painkillers, downing them with water. As he tried to gain his bearings he looked at his face in the mirror where he noticed something very different.

"What the freaking hell did you do to my hair?!" Kenshin shouted, tearing through the shop to find Urahara.

Yoruichi stuck her head out of the back room to look Kenshin over. "Will you keep it down, Pinky? I'm still putting the finishing touches on your girlfriend," she said before turning back to the task at hand. Kenshin's hair was now brushed down and bright pink with crossbones on the left side of his head. He knew exactly who he was supposed to be and he wasn't the least bit amused.

He stopped looking for Urahara when another thought crossed his mind. _"If I'm supposed to be Lieutenant Kusajishi then that would mean Minako is..."_ he thought before being interrupted by the jingling of bells. He turned to see Minako in a shihakusho, the kimono opened up and her torso wrapped in bandages. Over the shihakusho she wore a tattered white haori with the kanji for '11' on the back. Her once-blonde hair was dyed black and styled into long spikes and a bell attached to each spike, jingling with every step she took. Down the left side of her face a long scar was exquisitely designed and over her right eye was an eyepatch. _"Okay, this is seriously not funny,"_ he thought, trying to put his anger to words.

"I look pretty badass," Minako said with a large grin and Kenshin just sighed, setting aside his frustration. He agreed, noting that he was also in a standard shinigami's uniform. "So who exactly am I supposed to be?"

"A Grim Reaper leader," Urahara explained, skewing the facts but leaving enough in to make it plausible. "Kenshin here is your second-in-command."

"Like Captain and Lieutenant?" Urahara nodded, still smiling. "So I'm Kenshin's boss now?"

"You weren't before?" Yoruichi asked, earning a playful glare from Kenshin and a laugh from Minako.

Once outside the two of them made their way to the school with Kenshin barely feeling the cold and Minako bundling up in her kimono and haori. "Did we really have to wear these shoes?" she asked, her teeth clattering loudly. When Kenshin corrected her by calling them 'waraji' she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I stand by my point that they don't work in the snow. And how are you not cold?"

"I'm just a naturally warm guy," he reminded her with a smile. "C'mon, we're almost there."

When they arrived at the school they made their way to the gymnasium where they quickly found the girls. Makoto had dressed up as a pirate, Rei as a miko (though Kenshin made a note that it seemed like cheating for her to dress up as her profession) and Ami was in nurse cosplay, though the fact that she was blushing madly told Kenshin that the outfit hadn't been her idea. The girls snickered when they saw Kenshin's hair but before he could do anything Minako ordered him to stand down.

"I am your Captain after all," she told him with a mischievous wink.

After several deep breaths Kenshin finally calmed down enough to ask, "Where's Usagi? This isn't the kind of thing I expect her to miss."

"She's putting the final touches on her outfit now," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see Haruka and Michiru walking up to them. Michiru was wearing a sailor uniform and her hair done into two odango buns. Haruka, on the other hand, was dressed in a tuxedo with a top hat and white mask that covered her eyes. A red-lined cape flowed behind her and Kenshin had to do a double take to make sure it was her. Before he could make a comment Minako stomped on his foot, playfully glaring at her boyfriend.

"Who are you two supposed to be?" Haruka asked, making an immediate connection to the shinigami.

"We're Grim Reapers and I outrank him," Minako answered, pointing at Kenshin. "That's a really good Sailor Moon costume, Michiru. And good work with Tuxedo Mask too."

"They were the only ones Usagi could convince to play along since we couldn't reach you last night," Makoto said, adjusting her eyepatch. She caught Kenshin staring at her and puffed out her chest. "Something wrong, Pinky?"

A vein throbbed in Kenshin's temple as he chuckled. "No, just thinking the whole pirate getup suits you," he complimented her, causing the brunette to relax. "Just make sure no one tries to plunder your booty."

Makoto was silent as her entire body turned red but the other girls burst into laughter. Makoto tried to stammer out a reply but could only manage a stutter. "Did I miss something?" a voice from the gymnasium doors said.

They all turned to see a blonde girl in a mask much like Haruka's but dressed in a sailor uniform almost identical to Sailor Venus. "Who're you and who are you supposed to be?" Kenshin asked, knowing full well who it was.

"Hang on, you don't know who that is?" Minako asked, her jaw dropping when Kenshin shook his head. "First you don't know who the Sailor Guardians are, now you're telling me you don't know about Sailor V?" Kenshin shook his head again and the Inner Guardians all sighed together. "Stupid boy, you really are a lost cause, you know that?" When Kenshin didn't respond Minako looked over at him to see him staring at her in mild shock.

When she asked him what was wrong he recovered enough to say, "No, it's nothing. Just…" His eyes fell for a moment before he switched back to normal. "Never mind all that. I still wanna know who this girl is."

Minako knew he was thinking about the girl he'd told her about but also knew he wouldn't talk about it, especially when the others were around. "I guess it _is_ the first time you've seen Usagi with her hair down," Rei pointed out as Kenshin continued to stare.

"Prove that you're Usagi," he said simply after a moment, crossing his arms over his chest.

Usagi brought her index finger to the corner of her mouth as she began thinking. "Well, I like cookies and doughnuts. Ooo, can't forget about pork buns either!" she started as her tongue poked out from between her lips. "Hmm, cake's not too bad either but I'd rather have ice cream."

"That's definitely Usagi," Kenshin said, sighing, as a dribble of drool worked its way out of her mouth. "There's no other girl I can think of that thinks like a fat guy." He looked towards the ceiling as a thought occurred to him. "Well, maybe one but that's not really a fair comparison."

"I AM NOT FAT!" a bright red Usagi shouted at him while the other girls giggled, completely agreeing with Kenshin's statement. "Gah! And here I thought you guys were my friends."

"It's okay, Usagi," Ami said with a gentle smile. "Only friends could pick on each other like this." The blonde grumbled something unintelligible before turning to Minako's costume. The girls and Kenshin made small talk with each other and those around them, getting into the party mood. During all this Kenshin could feel himself relaxing, a part of himself almost willing to let his guard down. Almost.

There was a wide swath of costumes at the party. There were a few group outfits – such as a bowling ball and pins or a bunch of grapes – as well as the obligatory two-person horse costume. Kenshin could also see a large number of students that had dressed up as the different Sailor Guardians and after spending time around them he could understand what the people of Tokyo saw in them. There were several others that he had no clue to, guessing they were from what the locals called 'anime' which was one thing he'd never been able to get into despite Minako's insistence.

It didn't take long for music to start blasting through the speakers and the lights to fall. The school had hired a lighting crew and the gymnasium quickly felt like a nightclub. Many of the student congregated to the middle of the room to dance though Kenshin chose to stand off to the side. When Minako insisted he come dance he replied with, "I can't dance and if I tried it would be terrifying," one of the truest things he'd ever told her. Still, she pulled him out with her and he gave it his best effort, quickly realizing that Minako couldn't dance either. He had to bite the inside of his cheek several times to stop from laughing but she would glare at him each time he did. Eventually the music slowed down and before he could get away Minako pulled Kenshin close.

"He didn't put up much of a fight that time," Makoto whispered to Rei who nodded.

Once the song ended Kenshin said, "I'll be right back. I just need some fresh air." Minako watched as he walked out the exit door and sighed once he was gone. She knew something was bothering him more than usual but, like always, he wouldn't talk about it with her. Her instincts told her it had to do with his friend he'd mentioned and that it wasn't just a simple matter of missing a childhood friend. With the way he was acting it was as if something truly tragic had happened that had turned him off Christmas for good.

"Everything okay there, Captain?" Rei asked, worried about her friend.

"I guess," she said as the two of them walked away from the dance floor. She wasn't planning to say more than that but Rei kept pushing her. It took a few minutes but Minako explained what Kenshin had told her and what she believed.

"It sounds like he still has feelings for this friend of his," Rei told her, confirming what Minako was afraid of. "But maybe it's more complicated than that. Maybe it's something like they wanted to be together but their families put an end to it. Maybe that's why she moved away."

"If it was just refusing to have a girlfriend I might go with that," Minako answered, taking a sip of soda. "This has more the feel of something really bad that happened around Christmas."

"Then just ask him, girl." Minako stared at the raven-haired miko. "It won't do any good for the rest of us to ask him. Whether it's because he likes you or just trusts you more doesn't matter." Minako gave her friend a fierce hug before heading to the exit doors. Rei just sighed as Minako left, shaking her head after a moment. "Well, I can cross him off my list of potential boyfriends," she said to herself before rejoining the dancing.

Outside Minako could see Kenshin leaning on one of the railings, the snow falling gently around them. "Kenshin?" she asked, causing him to turn his head. "You alright out here? It's getting pretty cold."

"It's actually kinda nice. Helps me think clearly," he replied as Minako joined him.

"So what's on your mind?"

Kenshin sighed, knowing what Minako was actually after. "Minako, I've already said that I-"

"-that you don't want to talk about it and that it's not a big deal," she interrupted him. She stared at him, her expression serious. "Listen, Kenshin, you and I both know that's a bunch of crap. If it really doesn't bother you then we should be able to talk about it rather than you bottling up everything." Her hand wrapped around his. "I just want you to share what's been eating away at you the last few weeks," she pleaded. "I'm worried about you."

Kenshin stared back at her before taking a deep breath. "That's not actually what I came outside to think about," he admitted and Minako seemed to almost deflate. "But if you really want to know I suppose it can't hurt to talk about it.

"Her name was Saihana and like I said before she was a childhood friend of mine," he started. "Well, she was more like a sister considering that the two of us were near-inseparable and getting into trouble constantly. I'd go to do something and she'd scold me for it, having done it herself just moments before me." Minako couldn't help but giggle a bit, picturing a small girl bossing Kenshin around. "Anyway, we both grew up together and at one point she was even convinced that the two of us were getting married as soon as we both finished school."

"So did you love her?" Minako asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I don't have a good answer for you," Kenshin told her, "but I do know I didn't want to let her down by half-assing it. At that time in my life she meant everything to me." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess maybe I did love her; not like it means anything now."

Minako felt like her insides were being torn out and yet despite that she swallowed her pride and said, "If you still care about her why don't you tell her that? You said that she just moved away. I mean, it's not like she's dead."

Kenshin was debating on how to answer Minako's question when he felt a shift of energy in the area. He looked up, noticing that while it was no longer snowing around them but also that the snow was still coming down from above. Minako calling his name snapped him out of it. "Something's not right," he said after a quick apology. "We should probably get back inside."

"But what about-"

"I promise I'll tell you everything," Kenshin said, cutting her off, "but right now someone, or something, is trying to cut the school off from the outside world." When Minako asked what he meant he pointed up at where the snow was hitting a barrier. "Right now we need the Sailor Guardians and...!"

Kenshin was interrupted by a loud explosion at the far end of the school. He and Minako looked at each other and bolted towards the door, just missing it swinging open as the other girls stared at them with panicked expressions. Kenshin, however, didn't stop moving. He made a beeline for the source of the explosion and the other girls tried to keep up. While he was running he reached into his costume. _"I know I'm probably going to regret this later but I'd rather have to explain why I'm a shinigami than why I let people die just to keep my cover intact,"_ he thought to himself. When his search for the gikongan turned up nothing a wave of panic hit him. _"Why the hell don't I have it?!"_ A second thought nearly stopped him in his tracks. _"When he put me in this getup Urahara must've either forgotten or figured I wouldn't need it. Damn it!"_

As he came to the cafeteria he could see a large hole in the wall and rubble scattered across the floor. Several students were lying on the ground, injured but otherwise alive. Near the opening, however, were three large men and a slender woman. The thickest of the men was holding a girl with red hair in the air with his hand wrapped around her throat. He was completely bald with an almost reptilian look to him and, while the shortest of the four, his muscles were several times larger than any of the others.

"The pickings here are pathetic," he said as Naru stopped struggling. "These humans have hardly any energy and what little they have is barely worth taking."

"That's not why we came here, Darien, and you know it," the female said. Her features were rather plain with the exception of her long midnight-black hair and the spiderweb adornment across the back of her head. She wore a bandolier with various bladed weapon strapped from her shoulder to her hip. "We're here to send a message to the Sailor Guardians and that shinigami." She was about to continue when she saw Kenshin plant his foot in Darien's face and kick with enough force to send him flying out through the hole in the wall.

As Kenshin landed he caught Naru in his arms. Her upper body was badly bruised but near as he could tell she'd be fine physically. He handed her off to Usagi once the girls caught up to him, many of them panting heavily. "Well that was unexpected," one of the other males said, looking from where Darien had ended up and Kenshin. This one was of a more modest build of the three men. He wore yellow pince-nez glasses and his straw-blonde hair was swept straight up. The katana hanging from his hip had a white bullet-shaped tsuba with a black tsuka. "I don't sense any energy from this kid and yet he got Darien pretty good."

"It's obvious that he's suppressing his reiatsu, Typhon," the other male said, brushing his red hair out of his eyes. His steel-grey eyes seemed bored as he looked for his comrade. His weapon, a European longsword, was strapped to his thigh. "Still, to push it down so far that we can't feel it is a feat in-and-of itself. What do you think, Scylla?"

"I think Darien's going to be pissed and I don't want to be anywhere near that," Scylla answered, mildly amused.

"Get these kids outta here, girls," Kenshin ordered Usagi and her friends. "I'll keep these assholes busy."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Kenshin?" Usagi asked at the same time as Minako. "If those four were able to do all this then-"

"I'm not asking!" Kenshin snapped at her, his eyes narrowed. The girls all took a step back at the look in his eyes. He was angrier than all of them had ever seen him though Minako remembered what he could do when he was pushed too far.

There was a short burst of static as Darien appeared in front of Kenshin with his fist drawn back. As he came down Kenshin grabbed his fist and planted himself in the ground, twisting his attacker's fist until he could hear bone snapping.

"Augh!" Darien cried, jumping back and cradling his hand. Kenshin could hear the bones rearranging and knew that it was high speed regeneration. Sure enough after a few seconds Darien was rotating his wrist like nothing had happened. "Damn, that hurt," the Arrancar said, still seething. "That's twice this kid has caught me off-guard." He turned to Scylla. "Can I kill him now?"

"We weren't told _not_ to kill anyone," she replied, closing her eyes and smiling. "So go ahead and have a little fun, Darien. But once those Sailor brats and that shinigami show up..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Our job is to kill or capture them, whichever happens first," he replied, smiling quickly after acknowledging their job. He turned back to Kenshin and cracked his knuckles. "I'm just happy I get to kill this little bastard."

Darien came at Kenshin who blocked his first volley with such ease it was almost as if Darien had been standing still. With a quick sidestep Kenshin planted his foot into the back of Darien's knee and, grabbing his face as he fell, slammed the much-larger Arrancar into the ground. The floor cracked under the weight of the impact but Darien hopped up like nothing had happened and went for Kenshin's head. Without missing a beat the shinigami pivoted to face Darien and, using an open palm, struck the underside of the Arrancar's chin and snapping his head back violently. Darien was thrown a foot into the air before falling to the ground motionless.

"Well I'll be damned," Typhon said with a low whistle. "This kid's got some serious moves." He turned to his partner who was smirking. "What do you think, Borin? You wanna have a go at him?"

"As soon as Darien admits he's out of his league I'll step in," was Borin's answer as Darien started to stand.

"How the hell are you still alive? I broke your neck," Kenshin asked, clenching his fist.

Darien didn't answer. He reached up to grab the back of his head and chin and then pulled, his spine setting back into place with a loud crack. He rotated his head a few times to make sure he had it on straight. "I gotta admit, if I were anyone else that would've been the end of me," he answered finally. He made a fist and the veins in both arms popped out. "Just for that I'm gonna take my time killing you." The other three Arrancars snickered at their comrade's threat. When he turned to let them have it Kenshin made his move.

He stomped down onto Darien's foot and shot his knee up into the Arrancar's groin, causing him to double over. As he did Kenshin drove his elbow into the base of his skull and sending Darien head-first into the floor. Kenshin stomped down once more, crushing the Arrancar's windpipe.

"Holy hell," Makoto said as a chill went down her spine. "He's not screwing around with this guy."

"It doesn't really matter what he does. He just gets right back up, even from fatal wounds," Michiru added as she set one of the unconscious students down away from the fight. As if confirming her words Darien stood back up and his neck quickly regained its normal shape. "Still, I don't think I've ever seen Kenshin like this. To be so ruthless...it's not like him."

Minako thought back to the first time she'd seen him fight. "No, if pushed he's willing to do whatever's necessary," she told her friends. "And when he fought that Arrancar before he had no issue stabbing it through the chest."

"Then we need to transform, get out there and help him before those things decide to get serious," Rei said, pulling her transformation rod out of her kimono.

"We do that and they'll know our civilian identities," Haruka warned the miko, gritting her teeth as she did. "Go figure, though. When someone really needs the Sailor Guardians we can't do anything or end up risking the safety of our loved ones." Rei grimaced but acknowledged what Haruka was talking about and put away the rod.

"We can't help him like this," Makoto complained. "We're useless."

Minako shook her head as she pointed to the students around them. "We got everyone out of the way of this fight," she told the brunette. "Now Kenshin can worry about fighting the enemy in front of him rather than having to worry about civilian casualties."

The other Arrancars watched as well, witnessing Kenshin making a fool of Darien while barely trying. "This went from mildly entertaining to pathetic much faster than I thought it would," Borin said with a sigh. "Seriously, why doesn't Darien use that Anti-Human Mode he keeps bragging about? He might actually have a shot if he does that."

"This is Darien we're talking about here," Scylla reminded him. "Between him being a complete idiot and likely forgetting about it I'm also pretty sure that kid has knocked what few screws he has loose." Her gaze shifted to the girls who were still busy getting students out of the cafeteria. "Now what do those humans think they're doing? Are they just going to turn their back on their friend?"

Borin looked at her just as Kenshin pulled Darien's arm back, dislocating it and eliciting a shout of pain from the Arrancar. He briefly turned to his comrade before shifting his gaze back to Scylla. "Did you not see that little spat of theirs when this whole mess started?" he asked. "For some reason he's worried about those weaklings we took down earlier. Honestly, it's hard to take this kid seriously when he worries about crap like that in the middle of a fight." Typhon started to walk towards the girls. "What do you think you're doing?" Borin asked.

"I'm bored. I gonna kill some time by killing those girls," he explained very matter-of-factly as he drew his zanpakutō. He used his sonído to close the distance between himself and Usagi, raising his blade as the blonde screamed.


	12. Life or Death - Battle Royale

Usagi hadn't even seen the Arrancar until he was directly over her with his blade drawn. He smiled in the last second before he struck, the bored expression on his face wiped away by Usagi's terrified scream. Next there was a flash of blood all around her and the Arrancar's gleeful face twisted into confusion and pain.

The _clang_ of Typhon's zanpakutō hitting the ground seemed to snap him out of his daze as he looked at his stump of an arm. Kenshin was next to him, a blade of searing white energy formed around his forearm. "What part of 'this is between us' didn't you get?" the shinigami asked, a cold edge to his voice that made even the Arrancar shiver. Typhon retreated but Kenshin kicked his sword up to his hand and launched it at the Arrancar, piercing him right between the eyes. The other three Arrancar stared on in shock as Typhon fell to the ground completely still.

The girls were the same, staring at their friend in complete disbelief. Once the blade dissipated they could see that Kenshin's hands were lightly bruised from Darien's hierro and there were flecks of blood on his face. Despite all that, however, he seemed no worse for wear and thus far remained uninjured. "Kenshin..." Minako started but couldn't find the words she wanted.

"You girls should get out of here before this gets worse," Kenshin said coldly. "The one I've been fighting, Darien I think they said his name is, isn't all that tough but the others are another story. That last hit was just lucky to catch him off-guard."

"But we can help!" Ami insisted.

Kenshin shook his head. "No you can't. Their leader is here somewhere waiting for the Sailor Guardians to show up and if they did he'd know who they really are and the best way to force them to do what he wants," he told them, causing many of the girls' to drop their heads. Despite the situation he grinned like a madman, a feral excitement glowing in his eyes. "Besides, this is my fight and I'm finally getting to have some real fun. On the off-chance I get to let loose I don't want anyone getting in my way."

Minako looked up just as Kenshin dashed towards the two Arrancars where Typhon had pulled the blade out of his head and regenerated his arm. With a laugh Kenshin took them both on, blocking their attacks while weaving in-between them like it was nothing. The smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes as he countered their attacks told the girls that he was truly enjoying fighting against the Arrancar.

Both Darien and Typhon moved in to strike from opposite sides but Kenshin redirected their attacks into each other, sending both Arrancar skidding across the floor. "Is that seriously all the power the two of you have?" he asked with a chuckle. "C'mon, we've been at this for a while now and I'm still warming up. At least that other guy was able to keep me on my toes."

"So it _is_ you," Typhon growled, brushing away the trickle of blood from his lip. "You're that brat that was with the Sailor Guardians when Collus was beaten. Damn it, I _knew_ something was off about this whole thing." He turned to Borin and Scylla who were calmly waiting by the hole in the wall. "Hey, lazy asses! You gonna join us any time soon?"

"What do you think?" Scylla answered, brushing her hair out of the way. Typhon was about to respond when Darien slammed into him, sending them both toppling to the ground. Scylla looked to Kenshin who, despite breathing heavily, looked like a kid in an amusement park. "Hmm, what do you say, Borin?" she asked as she turned to red-haired Arrancar. "Do you think we should step in before Master gets here? I'd hate for him to have to see us playing with our food again."

Borin sat on the ground with his back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You go ahead, Scylla," he said with a yawn. "I'm not interested in fighting a human unless it's one of the Sailor Guardians. Wake me up when the cute girls in skirts show up to fight." Scylla's giggle was interrupted by a large chuck of concrete tossed at Borin who calmly blocked it with his foot, shattering the block into a thousand pieces.

"Sorry to bother you during your nap, Princess, but it you seem to have forgotten that I've broken your toys," Kenshin told him, motioning to the laid-out Typhon and Darien. "I was hoping you might want to take a turn now."

Borin smirked for a brief second before standing back up and cracking his joints. "If you weren't such an insufferable ass I might actually like you, kid," Borin admitted as he cracked his neck. "You've got either some serious power locked up or you had one helluva teacher. Regardless, you have my kudos for being able to make fools of those two. Why don't we take five to figure out where we all stand? I hate fighting weaklings and would rather not waste my time on you."

Kenshin smiled as the Arrancar at his feet tried to get up. "I have a similar rule about weaklings," he said, cracking his knuckles. "The only difference is that I would rather put them six feet under."

Borin chuckled as Darien and Typhon successfully retreated, reappearing next to him and Scylla. "What did you say your name was, kid?" Kenshin told the Arrancar his name without hesitation. "That's a good strong name. You can call me Borin Stelazzo, the leader of the Youma-borne Arrancars. Now, either bring out the Sailor Guardians or we rip you apart piece-by-piece." On cue Typhon drew his katana once more and Scylla drew two short kodachi from her bandolier. Darien bore no weapon but banged his fists together repeatedly causing the air to quake with each hit. Borin's sword, however, remained in its scabbard and the Arrancar was making no move towards it.

 _"He's the one that I have to watch out for,"_ Kenshin thought as he dropped into a fighting stance. _"He's smarter than the rest of them. Well, smarter than the other guys at least."_ His eyes darted to Scylla briefly. _"She's gonna be the quick one with a focus on thrown weapons. The broomstick-head guy seems pretty balanced between speed and strength while the muscular one is definitely the strong but stupid type."_ Despite the fact that he was grinning worry gnawed in his gut. _"I don't have the girls coming in for back-up any time soon and to make matters worse I can't get out of this damn gigai because I don't have any gikongan."_ He took a deep breath and let his muscles relax, his eyes closing in the process. "I guess in a situation like this," he said, still grinning from ear-to-ear, "the only thing a guy can do is have fun."

Darien was the first to attack, his straight jab deflected and countered with a hard strike to the back of his knee, sending the bald Arrancar to the ground. Scylla came at him next with kodachi swinging. Kenshin deftly dodged her swings, his eyes still closed, which caused the female Arrancar to growl in anger and launch several kunai at him. Kenshin spun, grabbing the kunai by the ring as he did so, and threw it back at Scylla. She screamed in pain as the kunai plunged into her chest, the force of the impact pushing her into the wall.

Typhon was next, his blade nothing but a blur as he came at Kenshin. The shinigami kept his eyes closed, focusing on the movement of Typhon's reiatsu as he swung around wildly. Kenshin clapped his hands together, catching the blade a fraction of an inch away from his head. He twisted the blade until it was torn from Typhon's hands, quickly flipping it and moving into an overhead strike. The same arm Kenshin had cut off once before fell to the ground again in a spray of blood. This time, however, Typhon kept his wits about him and focused his reiryoku around his hand, forming a blade identical to the one Kenshin had used against him. He threw a jab only to have Kenshin bend backwards and let Typhon stab a charging Darien in the gut. As soon as Typhon withdrew his arm Kenshin kicked his legs into the air to latch onto Darien's head. With a loud grunt Kenshin lifted the heavy Arrancar off the ground and threw him into Typhon, sending both of them crashing into a nearby wall.

Several more kunai zipped past him but these were attached to long threads as Scylla twisted her arms around, changing their vector to converge on Kenshin. He deflected a few of them but one scored a hit on his side, eliciting a spray of blood but no other reaction from the shinigami. "It's about time we managed to hit you," Scylla shouted, her voice a mixture of irritation and pride. "Let's see how quickly you move when injured."

"If you think a scratch like that is enough to slow me down then you have another thing coming," Kenshin replied with a smirk, causing Scylla to seethe. She tossed several more kunai but Kenshin's eyes were open now. He sidestepped the kunai and grabbed the threads, yanking Scylla off her feet and towards him with Typhon's katana pointed straight at her.

It was here Borin stepped in, planting a solid kick into Scylla to knock her off course. Kenshin moved from a thrust to a dodge as Boris came at him swinging. Based on how he was moving Kenshin picked up that he was favoring a boxer's stance. Each time Kenshin swung the katana Borin would knock it away and counter with a jab of his own which Kenshin dodged with relative ease. "You're quick for a human," the Arrancar complimented Kenshin after he dodged another set of punches.

"Should I be flattered that someone trying to kill me is complimenting my form?" the shinigami asked, half-joking. Borin let out a short laugh before trying out a punch-kick combination that Kenshin deflected. He countered by swinging his left arm out and bringing the sword down into Borin's shoulder.

"Were I anyone else that would have hurt," was the Arrancar's response, the blade having cut through his shirt and stopping with a _clang_ against his skin. "Unlike my comrades my hierro is quite well-developed. You won't be able to cut me with something like that."

Kenshin started to chuckle, piquing Borin's curiosity. "Something like this happened to my boss once," he said when asked what was so funny. He reached out with his right hand and gripped the tsuka tightly with both hands this time. "I'll tell you the same thing he told his opponent: A sword strike is twice as powerful when swung with both hands." With that Kenshin brought the blade back up and swung down with all his might.

The force of the attack was so great that it formed a visible shockwave, cutting through the floor as though it was nothing. Borin was quick to dodge but not quite fast enough as blood poured down his arm. "How?" he asked through bared teeth, barely holding his rage back. "How can a human not give off an ounce of energy and yet fight the way you do?" Kenshin didn't answer as he allowed his body to relax. "Well? Answer me!"

"I might believe you were pissed off if you were actually giving it your all, Borin," another voice said, echoing through the cafeteria. A cloud of energy formed behind the Arrancar, taking the form of a blonde human in a dark grey military uniform. Even from where he stood Kenshin could see the malice in his eyes.

"Lord Jadeite," Borin said startled, his outrage temporarily forgotten.

"I told you to use whatever methods were necessary to draw out the Sailor Guardians and their shinigami ally and what do I find?" Jadeite looked at Kenshin with disgust. "You're wasting your time and energy on this piece of trash."

"He's more powerful than he seems, sir," Darien answered as he and Typhon appeared next to him. Both had taken a knee and Scylla quickly joined them. "We've been giving it everything we have but-"

"Don't give me that!" Jadeite snapped, the air shuddering as he swung his arm. "Why the hell haven't the three of you used your resurrecciónes already? And you, Darien, why haven't you activated your Anti-Human Mode? With all of that at your disposal killing this child should have been simple."

 _"So Darien doesn't have a resurrección? That's different,"_ Kenshin thought, taking the distraction to try and catch his breath. _"Maybe he traded its power for whatever this Anti-Human thing is. It's not like we know anything about Arrancar born from youma. I should try and bring him in to Captain Kurotsuchi, see if we can't learn a few things from him."_ He looked at Jadeite who was still scolding the Arrancar like they were children. _"It wouldn't hurt to bring him either. He's definitely in charge based on how he's ordering them around."_ His flexed his hand around the tsuka of Typhon's sword, trying to get used to its feel. It was no Hisan Kusari but at the moment he didn't have the luxury of accessing his zanpakutō.

"You gonna stand there all day bitching at them or are they going to do their jobs?" Kenshin asked, tired of waiting. Jadeite turned to the shinigami to see him with Typhon's katana resting across his shoulder. When asked about the sword Kenshin replied, "If he wants it back he'll have to earn it. As far as I'm concerned this sword is mine now."

Typhon snarled but was silenced by Jadeite. The Dark Kingdom general stared at Kenshin, trying to get a read on the boy that he assumed was human. When he tried to feel out Kenshin's reiatsu he was surprised to come up with nothing. "Just what are you?" he asked after a moment. "No, never mind that. There's no point in knowing really." He turned to the Arrancars. "Kill him."

His servants didn't hesitate, all four surrounding Kenshin immediately with either their fists or blades drawn back. With almost unnatural ease Kenshin jumped up, flipping around to land behind Typhon and thrusting forward with his sword. The broom-haired man snapped around quickly to try and disarm Kenshin. The shinigami's response was to twist the blade and move into a slash, cleanly cutting through Typhon's hand. When Scylla came at him he parried her thrust with his free hand, disarming her in the process and taking the tanto she was using. He twisted his body, the katana now clear of Typhon, and using both blades make an 'X' across Scylla's back. Kenshin then planted his feet and drove both elbows back. Borin and Darien doubled over in pain with Kenshin's elbows in their guts though only Borin kept the presence of mind to duck when Kenshin spun again. He scored a deep cut across Darien's face, eliciting a roar of both pain and anger from the bald Arrancar.

"You've done this before," Borin noted as he let loose a flurry punches against Kenshin. The shinigami didn't answer, choosing to focus his attention on the flying fists instead. Borin felt a bit of relief knowing that he was keeping Kenshin on his toes but knew that with Jadeite watching them he needed to step his game up. With a little burst of energy he sped his fists up. Kenshin's response was to start blocking with his stolen weapons and the clamor of metal against hierro soon filled the cafeteria.

 _"Even at this speed his hierro doesn't give,"_ Kenshin thought as one of the fists grazed his cheek. At the same time though one of his blades nicked Borin's neck, a small victory considering not even a second later the wound was gone. He blocked another jab with the tanto to have the blade finally give, snapping near the tang. Kenshin dropped it quickly, using his now-free hand to deflect Borin's right hook and counter with Typhon's sword. The boxing Arrancar was too quick though, jumping back to just barely avoid being cut. Kenshin pushed forward with a combination of slashes and jabs, scoring several deep cuts on Borin's torso.

"Trap, Araña," was the next thing Kenshin heard before having Scylla's reiatsu slam into him. He instinctively jumped back, avoiding several strands of webbing. He turned to their source: a fully transformed Scylla. With the release of her resurrección she'd grown a thorax that had a second pair of legs tucked into the bottom. Her normal limbs were now bone-white with several posts running up the length of each. Another pair of arms had grown out of her back and still had the webbing hanging from the palms. Her face was the most shocking change of all, having grown a large pair of spider fangs around her mouth. She'd also grown a third eye between her two other and the three of them moved separately as she took in her surroundings.

"I always did hate your resurrección, Scylla," Borin said as he relaxed for a moment. "Still, a little help in slowing this guy down would be greatly appreciated." Scylla just hissed at him before letting loose another salvo of webbing. Kenshin did what he could to dodge it but his left arm was quickly caught in a sticky mess. He slashed at the webbing, freeing his arm and causing the separated strands to dissolve. Borin took the opportunity to land a straight drive into Kenshin's chest. When Kenshin went to counter he felt resistance from the blade and turned back to see what the problem was.

"Dance, Revólver," Typhon commanded, blood running down his arm from gripping the blade of his sword. The katana vanished in a cloud of energy and swirled around Typhon as his resurrección began to take form. His hair turned jet-black and his glasses morphed into goggles, completely obscuring his eyes. Bandoliers formed around both of his wrists, each with six cylinders embedded in them, as his coat opened to reveal a body riddled with scars. Along the seams of the jacket bars of white began to form, creating a faux body armor, effective against a sword but not much else.

He aimed his right fist at Kenshin, smirking as he did so. The cylinders lit up one-by-one and fired off balas into Kenshin's torso, eventually causing him to cough up blood. Typhon braced his left arm, aiming his fist at Kenshin, and fired six rods of energy into the shinigami. They exploded the moment they hit him, rocketing Kenshin across the floor before he rolled back onto his feet as he stopped. "Six light bala and six heavy bala and he's still vertical," Typhon said as the cylinders around his wrists started smoking. "This kid's built pretty solid. How 'bout you now, Borin? You gonna use yours?"

Borin sighed as Kenshin tried to regain his composure. "No, it's not really suited to this kind of combat," he said. "Besides, it's clear that he doesn't stand a chance now. He's lost his only weapon and, even if it wasn't at full power, that last salvo should put a hamper on that speed of his."

Still observing the fight were the Sailor Guardians, seemingly forgotten by the Arrancar. It was taking the girls all they had to not transform and join the fight in addition to trying to physically hold Minako back.

"Let…me…go!" she growled at her friends, struggling to get away.

Makoto planted her feet and locked Minako into a hold, keeping her center of gravity low. She was glad she did because Minako's first instinct was to try and throw the brunette. "If we let you go out there you'll just get yourself killed," she said through gritted teeth. "Besides, we're no good like this. As long as we can't transform we'll just make matters worse."

Haruka stared at Jadeite, her nails digging into her palms in anger. The Dark Kingdom general was calmly watching Kenshin deal with Scylla and Typhon's resurrecciónes while still keeping his senses trained on the girls. With a snarl she slammed her hand into the wall, drawing the girls' attention to her. "To hell with just standing here doing nothing," she said, her transformation rod appearing in her hand. "He might be an ass but I'm not about to let Kenshin die for us."

Before Usagi could protest Michiru put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Even if he were to discover our civilian identities we don't have families here for him to threaten," the Guardian of Neptune assured her. Michiru held up her own transformation rod as both girls were wrapped in energy and within seconds they were raring to go.

Jadeite's attention was drawn to the sudden spike of energy, turning to where he could see Sailors Uranus and Neptune running around a corner. "No Sailor Moon it seems," he said to no one in particular. "But the fact that they're here at all must mean the other Sailor Guardians are close by." He was about to call for Scylla when the arachnid-woman was hit by a sphere of orange energy that tore across the floor with surprising speed. "Why do I even bother with these idiots?" he asked, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Michiru and Haruka stood their ground in front of a bruised and bloody Kenshin. "We will not let you harm this boy any further!" Haruka announced as the Space Sword formed in her right hand. "If it's a fight you bastards want then we'll gladly take you on."

"Well, two out of nine is a start," Typhon commented to a very bored Borin. "And where there's one…"

"…there's bound to be more?" his leader finished, a note of skepticism in his voice. "I suppose it would be safe to assume that. But why would only these two choose to come out and not the rest of them?" He rubbed his chin in contemplation, briefly wondering where Darien had wandered off to but just as quickly writing him off.

A shrill scream from behind him cued the two men to quickly move as thousands of spider threads tore through the air at Uranus and Neptune. Michiru reacted first by raising her hands above her, allowing the energy in the air to coalesce into waves. She threw the gathered energy at the incoming threads, dousing them and making them worthless. Scylla didn't relent, however. She opened all four hands towards the Outer Guardians and glowing violet threads reached out.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Haruka yelled as the Space Sword began to glow. She began to swing down when the threads reached the blade, covering it completely in the blink of an eye. "What the...?"

"If you have any sense about you I'd let go of that thing now," she heard Borin say. Haruka was going to ignore him until she could feel the energy of the sword being drained away rapidly. She dropped the sword and jumped back before the threads wrapped around her ankles, wrists, and neck. "Then again, the two of you pissed her off so I suppose there was no point in warning you anyway."

"Let…me…go!" Haruka growled as she struggled against the Arrancar's grasp. Her protests were silenced as a shock ran through her body.

"Scylla may not be able to use Cero or Bala but she makes up for it by using her threads to drain others of their energy," the red-haired Arrancar explained, keeping a close eye on Kenshin and Sailor Neptune. "Once she's got you trapped you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be dead in seconds. After all…" He paused to smile as he saw Sailor Uranus' expression of horror. "…that's how spiders feed."

Sailor Neptune's eyes narrowed in rage as she saw what was happening to her partner. She held her hand up in front of her as the Deep Aqua Mirror materialized. She was able to quickly see the weak points in the Arrancar's hierro and several tendrils of water shot out from around her. Typhon quickly jumped in front of his comrade, blood spraying out where the tendrils tore into his body. With a bloody grin he aimed his left arm at Michiru. "Enjoy, you little bitch," he spat at her as the cylinders on the bandolier began to glow.

His attack was interrupted by a flying kick to the head from Kenshin who promptly turned and yelled, "Now, Sailor Neptune!" The Outer Guardian acquiesced, releasing another round of water tendrils that found their mark this time, ripping off both of Scylla's left arms. The sudden shock caused the spider-Arrancar to drop Haruka who fell to the ground in an exhausted heap.

Kenshin came to skidding halt next to the two of them as Michiru supported Haruka's weight. "I owe the two of you big time," the shinigami said, letting out a long breath. "Unfortunately, a hard kick to the head or ripping off a couple arms doesn't seem to really do much to these guys." Haruka asked if he had any suggestions. With a nervous smirk Kenshin explained, "What we need to do is interrupt the flow of energy within their bodies. It's not a complete solution but it should slow down their regeneration big time."

"Again, do you have some way of pulling this off?" Haruka asked, worried that he was about to try something stupid.

Kenshin took a deep breath, standing straight up as he did so. "I do. But you two need to keep your distance," he answered as he clenched his fists. "This technique is extremely dangerous to use in my current state and there's no guarantee that I'll be able to fully control it." Before either girl could question what he meant energy started to rise from his arms in legs like steam.

"Not this trick again," Typhon muttered as he pointed his right arm at Kenshin. "Unless you want the kid for yourself, Borin, I'm just gonna kill him and end this game now."

Borin's expression was pensive as he stared at Kenshin. "Kid, huh?" he said as Kenshin's sleeves and bottom half of his hakama were torn to shreds by the energy rising from him. "This 'kid' has made us look like a bunch of fools over and over, all the while we can't even feel out his reiatsu to figure out how strong he really is." His eyes narrowed as curved violet blades formed on Kenshin's arms and shins. "No normal human should be able to fight like this and yet that's exactly what we keep saying we're up against."

The girls stared at Kenshin in shock as the blades of reiryoku stabilized around Kenshin. "Hang on a sec," Minako said as she spotted the limiter on his arm. "Wasn't that on the front of his shoulder?"

Makoto stared at her friend for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure if I should be worried that you've seen him with his shirt off or that he has a tattoo that magically moved." She took another look at Kenshin as the air around him rippled with power. "Actually, I might be a bit more freaked out by all of him at the moment."

"Something's not right about this," Ami said, her computer out and her visor over her eyes. "The human body can't withstand what he's putting it through right now. If he were unharmed and fully rested then maybe but like this…" She gulped nervously. "At the rate he's going, even if he wins, he'll-"

"Please don't finish that thought, Ami," Minako interrupted her and there was a general sense of agreement with the others and Ami nodded.

Kenshin flexed his arms and legs, trying to adjust to the technique. In shinigami form this wouldn't have been necessary but he didn't have the option at the moment. He also silently thanked Urahara for giving him a redesigned gigai capable of withstanding all the punishment he was enduring. _"If I don't release my limiter I should be fine,"_ he thought as his eyes darted around the battlefield. _"Although with their resurrecciónes active I don't think I have a choice in the matter."_ He swallowed nervously as he glanced at the yarrow on his shoulder. _"I can't take it back if I do this. Killing them and Jadeite should break the barrier down and by now Urahara is probably close with a gikongan."_

He looked over at the girls who were all but piled on top of each other watching the fight. Minako's eyes were quivering with fear and he felt something tug inside of him. "Haruka, Michiru," he said quietly, catching the Outer Guardians off-guard. "I need you to do something for me." When they tried to deny their names Kenshin just stared at them. "I'm not an idiot and neither are you two," he replied. "No matter what happens to me here promise me that you'll make sure that Minako makes it to safety. If someone else that I care about were to die because I was too weak I don't think I could live with myself." He looked over at Minako for a moment before looking at the two of them again. "Promise me that you'll protect her."

Haruka and Michiru looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Kenshin and saying in unison that they promised. "Thank you," he said, briefly smiling. "Well then, I think it's about time I stopped playing around and got serious about this fight." With a single thought he released the limiter, causing it to flake off his shoulder.

Borin was about to order his subordinates to move in when Kenshin's reiatsu slammed into them, forcing both Typhon and Scylla to the ground. "What…the hell…is this?!" he asked, struggling to stand up straight. "Is this…coming from Kenshin?"

"No…way," Typhon commented between labored breaths. "He's only…human."

Even the girls were overwhelmed by the mass of reiatsu now bearing down on them. "Holy cow," Rei said having been forced onto all fours. "Is this Kenshin's full strength?"

"I feel like…someone's dropped a house on me," Usagi complained.

Makoto and Ami reported similar feelings while Minako, who was still standing, just looked at them in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked, looking between her friends and her boyfriend. "I barely feel anything. It's not all that different from normal really."

"Maybe…because you spend more time with him than we do," Ami offered as she forced her way back onto her feet. "It might just be a matter of…being used to it." Minako just stared at her friends, still thoroughly confused but unable to offer a better explanation.

Kenshin wasted no time, flash stepping past Borin to attack Typhon. With a swing of both arms Kenshin sliced off the gunslingers hands in a spray of blood. Typhon stared at the stumps where his hands had been for a second or two before letting out a hysterical scream. Before Kenshin could strike again Borin had his sword drawn, the kidō blades grinding against the arrancar's zanpakutō. "I suppose this is what we get for playing with our food," Borin said, struggling to stand his ground.

Kenshin said nothing though he locked eyes with the Arrancar for a brief moment before disengaging. Hardened webs cut into the floor where he'd been. Scylla was panting heavily, her right arms doing all the work while her left arms regenerated. She let loose another round of webs, twisting them through the air. One-by-one they homed in on Kenshin but he dodged them with ease, vanishing just as several threads tried to surround him. He reappeared in the air above Scylla, much to the Arrancar's shock, and formed a stepping platform to rocket himself towards her. Scylla was quick but not enough to avoid the brunt of Kenshin's attack, the blade on his arm tearing into the left side of her torso. Her blood washed over him but he barely seemed phased by it. With one swift motion he brought his arms up in a cross and slashed, cutting cleanly through Scylla's neck.

Her body vanished, as did the blood covering Kenshin. He pondered what had happened for a second when he felt a fist bury itself in his back, tossing him across the room and into the wall. He quickly turned to see no one where he'd been standing. "How the-" he started until a hard blow to the gut silenced him. He could feel his face being gripped as the invisible force slammed him into the wall again before letting him fall to ground.

"God I've been waiting to do that since this fight started," Kenshin heard Darien's voice say. The shinigami stood up and looked around to now see Darien with darkened skin standing next to Borin. Scylla also stood with him, no sign of the injuries that Kenshin had inflicted on her. Typhon, though, had just finished regenerating his hands and the look of fury in his eyes was unmistakable.

"I never thought I would have to say this, Darien, but I owe you my life," Scylla said, her fangs clicking as she did.

Kenshin closed his eyes, taking a moment to think while trying to shut out the pain his body was in. "So that's this 'Anti-Human Mode' you kept talking about," he realized, opening his eyes to stare down the Arrancars. "You can wildly alter the perception of any human caught in the range of your reiatsu, making them experience whatever you want them to." Darien's smug smile was replaced by a searing glare. "Glad to know I'm right."

Borin chuckled, earning stares from his comrades. "Not even a minute into your technique and he has it figured out to a tee, eh Darien?" he said. "You really are something else, Kenshin. A pity we have to kill you."

Before Kenshin could reply a flurry of black hair flew in his face and a woman in a black shihakusho stood between him and the Arrancars. "Hasn't this gone on long enough?" Minako asked. "You've made it obvious that Kenshin can't beat you. Why do you insist hurting him like this?"

Darien was about to growl a response until Borin held his hand up, silencing the bald Arrancar. "Are you offering to take his place?" he asked and Minako shook her head. "Then this has nothing to do with you. Either get out of the way or die before him."

Minako stood defiant before the Arrancars, though truth be told she'd never been more frightened. After seeing what they were capable of she knew that she wouldn't have a prayer unless she transformed into Sailor Venus. Even then it would be a one-on-four fight, two-on-four if Kenshin could still fight. When it became clear to Borin that she wasn't going to move he just sighed and let Darien at it. The Arrancar gave her a vicious smile as he held his open hand towards her. Black and red energy began to coalesce in his palm, the signature screech of the Cero filling the air.

Kenshin stared at Minako's back as the Cero continued to charge. For a brief moment he could see another blonde woman standing there as the jaws of a Hollow came ever nearer. _"No, not again,"_ he thought as he ground his teeth. _"I refuse to let my weakness be her death!"_

Minako watched the sphere of energy compress down into a ping-pong sized ball. Just as Darien called out the name of his attack she heard Kenshin yell, "Saihana!" She started to turn towards her boyfriend only to have him shove her out of the way. Darien fired the Cero, the wave of energy cutting right between the couple and slicing right through the exterior wall. Minako fell to the ground, her skin still stinging from the heat of the energy wave, and she desperately looked towards Kenshin. He was shrouded from the steam of the attack but from what she could see his was still vertical and alive. A wave of relief washed over her until the smoke cleared. Her eyes widened and she let out a piercing scream.

"Close but no cigar," Borin commented as he stared at Kenshin. The shinigami's right arm had been caught in the Cero and the heat had seared the skin around his ribcage, filling the air with the smell of cooked flesh. "I don't know how he's even conscious let alone standing. Still, that injury should make killing him much easier now."

"Ken…Kenshin," Minako stammered, trying not to stare at his injury.

"As long as you're safe then I'm willing to put up with any injury, any pain," he told her. For someone with such a serious injury Minako couldn't help but think he was unusually calm. "My weakness has already cost one person I love her life. I'd never be able to live with myself if that happened again." He looked over at her and gave her a sad smile. Despite the front her was putting up Minako could see the agony he was in. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do," he told her, knowing that he had no other option.

Minako watched as he dropped into a fighting stance, somehow ignoring the severity of his injuries. "Kenshin, please don't do this," she begged him, tears starting to form in her eyes. She reached into her shihakusho for her transformation rod.

"Don't you dare," was Kenshin's response, catching the blonde off-guard. "If you transform then they'll know the easiest way to get to you. Most likely they'll be able to figure out the others from that alone." When asked what he was talking about Kenshin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You know exactly what I mean...Sailor Venus." He turned his attention back to the Arrancars. "Trust me, Minako. When this is all said and done none of them are going to be walking away. It's a little drastic but I know what has to be done in order to get there and unfortunately that means doing something I don't think you'll ever forgive me for."

Before Minako could ask what he meant Darien was behind Kenshin. "I hope I'm not interrupting your little lover's reunion but I need to finish the job I started," he said simply, spinning in place and aiming a punch right for the small of Kenshin's back. The shinigami did a quick backflip, dodging the blow and briefly landing on Darien's arm. After a second he jumped again, letting Typhon's Bala barrage slam into his comrade. As Kenshin landed he didn't have time to dodge or block the punch-kick combination the Borin threw at him. He managed to land a solid hit on Kenshin's right side, eliciting a pained grunt from the shinigami. He didn't go down, however. Kenshin braced himself before switching to kenpō with his remaining arm. His attacks missed by a wide margin, allowing Borin to land a powerful hit right into Kenshin's chest with the force of the blow causing Kenshin to cough up blood. Despite that he remained standing, earning a growl from the Arrancar leader.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed at this point?" he asked as Kenshin tried to regain his bearings. "Don't get me wrong; we're happy to oblige you on that front. I'm just trying to get a grip on your thought process."

"That might be your problem," Kenshin replied, giving the Arrancar a bloody grin. "What you call 'suicide' I call 'a plan'."

As Borin went to ask what his plan might be Scylla's threads blew past his head, cutting deep into Kenshin's leg and earning another pained grunt. Several Bala breezed past him as well though Kenshin managed to dodge them with seeming ease, eventually driving his open palm into Borin's chest. The impact pushed the Arrancar back but dealt no damage to him. Kenshin, on the other hand, felt sharp pains running up his remaining arm. He assumed it was from the hierro but when he saw the miniscule cracks in his arm he knew he was quickly running out of time.

Not intending to give him time to attack again Darien appeared in front of Kenshin, landing a driving punch into the shinigami's gut, sending him flying across the room to slam into the wall. The force of the impact created a spiderweb of cracks around the impact site. Still Kenshin stood, refusing to fall before the Arrancars. "What the hell is this kid made from?" Darien asked as he seethed.

The sound of building laughter threw them all off. Kenshin threw his head back, laughing uncontrollably despite the blood running out of various wounds. "You have got to be kidding me!" he said, bringing his hand to wipe his face off. He turned his gaze to Darien, his eyes filled with fire. "Is that the best you've got, you little bitch? If you want me dead you'll have to stop screwing around and fight like a man!"

Darien let out a feral roar before charging Kenshin, grabbing the shinigami's head and slamming it into the wall, creating a crater. More racks ran up the wall as the force could be felt through the entire cafeteria. Kenshin began to laugh hysterically again, prompting Darien to wrap his arms around the shinigami and squeezing his body tightly. Kenshin's laughter quickly devolved into a pained scream as the Arrancar angrily tried to crush his body.

 _"This doesn't make any sense. It's almost like he_ wants _us to kill him,"_ Borin thought as Kenshin's screams continued. He thought back to what the shinigami had said, trying to decipher what he had planned.

Darien flexed his muscles, earning another scream from Kenshin. "I never get tired of hearing that sound," he told the shinigami with a smile. Kenshin stared at the Arrancar through one eye, giving him a pained smile and a quick laugh. Darien growled at him and was about squeeze tighter when Kenshin drew his upper body back as much as possible. With a roar he slammed his head into Darien's, forcing the Arrancar to drop him. Darien reeled for only a second before snarling and grabbing Kenshin's neck and lifting him into the air.

 _"When a human dies their soul is expelled from their body,"_ Borin thought, now oblivious to what was going on around him. _"But what good would being a spirit do him? Unless he's actually…!"_ Borin snapped back into reality as realized what Kenshin was trying to do. He looked at Darien to see him holding Kenshin parallel to the ground. "Darien! Stop!" he yelled but he was too late.

Darien brought Kenshin down on his knee, a sickening crack filling the air. Kenshin's eyes snapped open for a brief second before the life drained from them. From their vantage point the girls watched in horror as Darien held Kenshin's body like a ragdoll. He turned to Minako who was still sitting on the ground in shock. "Hey, girl," he told her, smiling smugly as he held Kenshin up. "I think this is yours." He tossed Kenshin across the room where he landed just a few steps from Minako.

Minako crawled over to Kenshin's body, tears running down her face when she finally reached him. She lifted him up to rest in her lap. "Kenshin? Come on, this isn't funny," she told him, her mind refusing to accept what she had just witnessed. A sharp _crack_ sounded, prompting her to look around until she saw the cracks running across Kenshin's skin. They spread quickly until his entire body was riddled with them. Minako ran her fingers across his cheek and Kenshin disintegrated, clothes and all. Her eyes widened with horror as the dust that was Kenshin slipped through her fingers.

Turning away from Minako Borin couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Looks like we got lucky," he muttered. The other Arrancars just stared at him though Borin just waved their questions off.

Darien was too busy staring at his hand as his Anti-Human Mode began to fade to notice anything that Borin had said. "I didn't know I could do that to someone," he admitted once his skin was back to its normal color. "Then again, this is the first time I've really used it." He turned to Borin next. "What do you we mean we got lucky?"

"It doesn't matter now," their leader replied. "Now, I think we should do what we came here to do in the first place: draw the Sailor Guardians out of hiding."

He was about to walk away when a wall of reiatsu slammed into them. The Arrancars turned to see an orange flame-like aura around Minako. On her forehead was the symbol of Venus, shining so brightly that it was near impossible to see. "You…bastards," she said, tears still running down her cheeks. "How dare you do that to Kenshin." She stood up and the aura doubled in size. Her eyepatch disintegrated in the wave of energy and her hair was restored to its original color as it flowed wildly around her.

"Well this is unexpected," Borin said, only slightly uncomfortable. "Not quite as impressive as Kenshin but still not bad." The Arrancars didn't move as Minako raised her right arm and pointed with her index finger. She brought the arm down, bracing it with her left as streams of orange light focused on her fingertip. The gathered aura around her flowed into the point of light as it began to shine brightly.

"Crescent Beam," she called out. A beam of light shot out towards the Arrancars. Realizing its potential power all but Darien jumped out of the way. Darien just smiled as he stopped the beam with his bare hand, the energy pouring through his fingertips.

"Aww, are you sad that I killed your boyfriend?" he mocked her despite the warning from his comrades. Minako said nothing as her pointed finger turned to an open palm. Darien's eyes widened as the beam suddenly expanded, cutting through his hand and much of his torso. When the attack relented there was a large groove cut into the floor but had managed to miss anything structurally important. Darien, though, hadn't been so lucky. Where the left side of his torso had been was just a smoldering wound. It took a moment before the pain registered and he let out an animalistic roar of pain.

"Will you just shut your damn mouth and regenerate already?" Typhon asked, idly picking his ear with his pinky. Both he and Scylla had exited their resurrecciónes and, despite their advanced healing, had clearly seen better days. Darien, though, focused his attention on healing and the missing flesh quickly grew back, leaving the Arrancar breathless. "Gotta say, not a bad shot from her. You think she's one of those Sailor brats?"

"I don't care who she is! I'm gonna kill that bitch where she stands!" Darien roared in anger. He held his hands in front of him, palms facing each other, as a deep red Cero began to form. The screech that filled the air caused even the Arrancar to step back while crimson light began to pour out from Darien's hands. Borin debated stopping Darien but after seeing the look of rage in his eyes he doubted anything he could say or do would even reach him.

Minako fell to her knees, the orange aura gone as she stared helplessly at the Arrancars. "I'm sorry, Kenshin," she said as a tear ran down her cheek. "I wasn't strong enough to stop him either." She closed her eyes as Darien let out another roar and fired the Cero at her.


	13. Chain of Misery

The other Sailor Guardians watched as the Cero slammed into Minako and exploded, flinging dust and chunks of debris through the hallways. It was only after several minutes that they regained their composure from the blast and ran out into the open, hoping against hope that Minako had escaped. The heat from the blast was still too intense to get near where Minako had been and the smoke obscured their view. Each of them had tears running down their faces and their eyes were filled with anger and sorrow.

"I don't care what it takes," Usagi said as she held her compact in her hand, "we're going to make you pay for what you did to our friends!" The other Sailor Guardians nodded, their transformation rods at the ready.

Jadeite stared at the girls, focusing Usagi, Rei and Ami. _"Why do I feel like I know those girls?"_ he thought to himself as the memories of his previous failure started to trickle back. _"No, it can't be."_ He held his hand over his face, his frustration quickly turning to laughter which prompted the Arrancars to stare at their master. "I don't believe it!" Jadeite said when Borin asked what was wrong. "All this time we've been looking for the Sailor Guardians and they were right under our nose." His laughter faded but the twisted smile on his face didn't. "It seems that you lot aren't as powerful as we thought, not if you just let your friends die like that."

Borin smiled as he looked from Jadeite to the girls. "It's probably a safe assumption that the blonde girl was a Guardian too," he noted with a chuckle. "If that's all you humans are capable of doing then this will be easier than we hoped." Out of curiosity he glanced at the smoke cloud where Minako had been. Something in the smoke caught his eye as he turned his full attention to it, his smile now gone.

"Hey, something wrong, Borin?" Darien asked, worried about his leader's sudden silence. The other Arrancars turned to him, quickly following his gaze towards the smoke. "Huh? C'mon, there's no way that little girl could've survived a direct hit with my Cero."

"That's kind of the point: It wasn't a direct hit."

Darien's eyes widened at Borin's suggestion. Sure enough, blonde hair peeked through the haze and drew the attention of the Sailor Guardians. After a moment the smoke cleared enough to reveal a completely unharmed, but thoroughly surprised, Minako. The girls all cried her name simultaneously and that seemed to snap her out of her reverie. "I…I don't really know," Minako admitted, staring at the cloud of smoke in front of her. "At the last second it just…stopped, like it hit a wall or something."

Borin's eyes narrowed as he swore under his breath. "Guess we weren't as lucky as I thought," he muttered as his gaze moved to the smoke cloud. "Still, killing him once wasn't a big deal. It should be easier this time around." The Arrancars stared at him, fairly certain he'd lost his marbles. Darien was about to say as much when the smoke began to finally clear from the site of impact.

On the ground in front of Minako was an arc where the ground had been left undamaged. Just behind the line they could see a pair of feet clad in white tabi and straw waraji. Eventually it cleared enough to reveal a black shihakusho with a crimson scarf fluttering in the breeze. On the figure's left hip rested a katana with a red saya and a crescent moon tsuba.

"Is that…You've gotta be kidding me," Typhon said, staring at the shinigami in front of them. "I mean, the hair's different but Darien snapped his back. And to top it off he turned into a pile of dust."

"Take one feel of his reiatsu and tell me that it isn't him," Borin replied simply.

"Not a chance in hell!" Darien said, charging a bala and firing it right at Kenshin. The blast dissipated harmlessly against an invisible barrier though there was a ripple from the impact. Darien stared at how ineffective his attack had been with a mix of panic and anger.

Ignoring the enemies at hand Kenshin knelt down next to Minako who was staring at him in shock. "You okay?" he asked. Minako blinked several times, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked several more times before nodding. Kenshin brought her into his arms and held her tightly, the sudden display taking her by surprise. "I almost didn't make it back in time."

Minako's arms eventually decided to start working as she held Kenshin as tight as she could. "You're alive," she said simply, her tears renewed though they were now ones of relief. She held him at arm-length, looking him over as she tried to process what had happened. "But he…and then you…"

"I'll explain everything, I promise," he told her as he held her hands in his. "But right now there's something I have to do."

He helped her to her feet before turning to face Borin and the others. "Kenshin?" Minako asked, prompting him to look over his shoulder. "No dying. That's an order from your Captain, got it?"

Kenshin couldn't help but smile. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. After a moment he unwrapped the scarf and placed it around Minako. "Keep that safe for me," he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I'll be back for it as soon as these guys are dealt with."

When Kenshin turned around this time his gaze was as hard as steel and focused squarely on the Arrancars. "The barrier should hold for a while," he said, addressing the Sailor Guardians. "I recommend getting in there with Minako unless you feel like getting in my way." All six girls quickly shook their heads as they retreated behind the barrier that Kenshin had created.

"It seems when I asked you your name before you might have left out a few things," Borin said to the shinigami walking toward him.

"And for that I owe you an apology." Borin was a bit taken aback at Kenshin's response. "It's rude to not give a proper introduction to someone who's trying to kill you. So let me try this again." Kenshin stood tall, his left hand resting on his zanpakutō. "I am Kenshin Suzaku, 4th seat of the 11th Division. I am a member of the Gotei 13 and a shinigami." His eyes narrowed at the four Arrancar before him. "I'm also the last person here that you want to piss off and you managed to do just that."

Darien was the first to respond, using his Sonído to put himself right in front of Kenshin. Kenshin briefly disappeared for a split second but wound up right behind Darien, his left hand still on his zanpakutō. The other Arrancar stared, trying to comprehend what had just happened. A vertical bead of blood formed on Darien's face just before he erupted in a shower of blood. There were at least half a dozen wounds across his body not counting where Kenshin had nearly bifurcated him. "And that's me letting him off easy," Kenshin said as a feral grin crossed his lips.

He flash stepped, using the momentum to land several open-palmed strikes to Typhon's chest. The force of the impacts reverberated through the Arrancar's body, causing him to scream in pain. Scylla came at him, swinging a kodachi right at his neck. Kenshin deflected the blow and grabbed her wrist, pulling as hard as he could until the arm came loose from her shoulder. The female Arrancar shrieked as she fell back, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at Kenshin.

Kenshin turned in time to catch Borin's sword with his bare hand, a trickle of blood running down his arm from the edge in his palm. "Really? That's all you come at me with?" Kenshin asked the trembling Arrancar. "I don't think anyone would blame you for running. In fact it would've been the smart thing to do, not that I would've let you get far."

"You're a monster," Borin said, gritting his teeth as he tried to pry his blade free.

Kenshin's smile only seemed to widen. "Now that's not really fair," he replied. "You don't get to call me a monster until I finish warming up." His grip tightened around the sword as an idea began to form in his head. "Seeing as how I have your attention now I'd like for you to have something," he told Borin. "Hadō #11 – Tsuzuri Raiden." Electricity flashed in Kenshin's hand as it ran through Borin's sword and into the Arrancar. Borin bore it as much as he could as smoke began to rise from his skin and his clothes began to disintegrate. With a pained grunt he pulled his sword out of Kenshin's hand and jumped back. The shinigami seemed to ignore his wounded hand as he stood still.

"Lord Jadeite, a hasty retreat would seem to be in…" he started to say just as Kenshin vanished from sight. The next instant he was right in front of Borin and using a quick draw slammed the pommel of Scylla's confiscated kodachi into Borin's sternum, winding the Arrancar. In the same movement Kenshin drew the sword upward, scoring a deep cut on Borin's chest. He brought the blade down across the opposite side of his torso, forming a bloody 'X' across his chest.

"Bakudō #81 – Dankū," Kenshin quickly said, holding up his free hand. A barrier raised behind him as strands of violet spider webs converged on him before bouncing harmlessly off the invisible wall. Scylla had reentered her resurrección though the arm Kenshin had torn off was still regenerating. As she sent wave after wave of threads Typhon stepped up next, also in his released state.

Spheres of energy formed around the bandoliers on his wrists, spinning slowly at first but eventually turning into glowing halos. "Tempestad Balas!" he shouted. Countless bala flew from the halos, many of them missing Kenshin but a large number still slammed into the barrier he'd created. "Cuadroplicó!" he added as six more halos formed around him and began to fire. "C'mon you bastard," he growled, knowing that none of his bala were hitting home. "Why the hell won't you just die already?!"

A wave of blue lightning shot out from the mass of smoke, engulfing Typhon's head. The bala stopped as the headless body fell to the ground. Scylla's eyes widened for a moment before she felt a sharp pain in her gut. She looked down to see her kodachi buried in her stomach.

Kenshin was grinning like a madman as blue flame began to form around his hand and a look of sheer terror filled Scylla's eyes. "Hado #33 – Sōkatsui!" The flames ran from his hand into Scylla's wound as light began to pour out of her eyes, nostrils and mouth while she screamed in agony the whole time. With a final burst of energy the spell expended itself, blasting away the smoke that Typhon had created. Kenshin let go of the scorched kodachi and with a flick to the forehead Scylla fell back, shattering like glass on the floor.

"So flames seem to prevent regeneration," Kenshin noted to himself. He turned to Typhon whose headless corpse was now standing. The skull was the first to reform, then the muscle and blood vessels, followed by the skin. His hair regrew finally and he let out a loud sigh as it did. The goggles on his eyes were the final piece to reform but even through the opaque lenses Kenshin could feel his enraged glare. "And while flames work decapitation and massive bodily trauma seem to have no effect," he said to himself. "That's different. But unfortunately for you I already have my prize."

Typhon glanced to the still form of Darien whose wounds seemingly refused to heal. "What the hell did you do to him?" he asked. The sound of Kenshin's sword being drawn from its sheath refocused his attention on the shinigami.

"Like it matters if I tell you," was the reply Typhon was given. "The more time we spend talking the less fun I get to have!" Kenshin charged, his strikes quick but not enough to catch Typhon.

"I was created from the fastest of all youma!" he informed Kenshin while laughing. "And with the additional power Lord Jadeite's given me I'm faster than anything on this miserable rock of a planet!"

Kenshin chuckled, holding his zanpakutō in front of him. "Well I do love a good challenge. Put an end to this pathetic existence, Hisan Kusari!" Kenshin called out. The twin kusari-gama formed in his hands, catching Typhon off-guard. "You really shouldn't be too surprised," Kenshin told him, the chains rattling as he took a fighting position. "I am a shinigami after all."

The girls were watching the whole time from the safety of the barrier, completely speechless as they watched their friend. "So it really _is_ him," Makoto said as Hisan Kusari formed in Kenshin's hands. "Kenshin's been helping us this whole time."

"Kinda glad I never pissed him off now," Haruka added, rubbing her throat as she remembered having Kenshin's blade there. "But why didn't he use this form from the beginning? Why take the kind of beating he did if he can wipe them out so easily?"

"The better question might be 'which is the real Kenshin'," Michiru pointed out. "Is it this monster of a person or the one that's been by your side at school?" She and all the girls visibly winced when Kenshin's blades cut Typhon into three pieces.

By this time Borin had finished healing and the burnt corpse of Scylla was the first thing he saw. He turned to Darien who seemed busy bleeding out on the floor but Borin noticed that for as serious as his wounds were there wasn't near enough blood. _"Some kind of poison, maybe?"_ he asked himself. _"Well, whatever it is it's obvious that we don't stand a chance against him as we are."_ He tightened his grip around his sword before remembering that it wouldn't do any good against Kenshin.

"Borin." The Arrancar turned to Jadeite who tossed three small glowing gems at him. "Use whatever means necessary to be rid of this pest."

Borin stared at the crystals for a moment before giving his master a wicked grin. "As you wish, sir," he said, crushing all three gems into dust.

The sudden surge in reiatsu drew Kenshin's attention and provided a much-needed reprieve to Typhon. The girls also stared as a curtain of light wrapped around Borin. "This feeling..." Usagi stated as the light washed over them. "It's almost like I can hear people's voices in it." She closed her eyes as she tried to focus before a pit formed in her stomach. "This is human energy," she realized. Usagi turned to Jadeite who was watching Borin intently. "How many humans did you steal this energy from? How many lives did you ruin just to achieve this?"

Jadeite turned to the bun-headed blonde. "I'm no fool, Sailor Moon," he said, confirming to her that he remembered who she was. "Do you think I learned nothing after all the times you defeated me? The best defense against you brats is to avoid the obvious. You tend to stumble into whatever plan we set in motion so we just avoided drawing any attention." The light finally began to subside, revealing an unchanged Borin though his reiatsu was great enough to pin the Sailor Guardians in one place.

"Damn, he used three all at once?" Typhon muttered. He eyes widened when he heard a burst of static from behind him and a stabbing pain in his chest. He looked down to see Borin's sword sticking out in front of him. "B-But why, Borin?" he asked, his body trembling.

"I have plenty of power but not enough speed," was Borin's answer, a dark smile on his face. "You've got just enough that I can outrun this bastard and kill him." Yellow veins appeared on the sword blade as energy began flowing into Borin. "Don't worry, it only hurts for a few seconds. Then your power will be mine." Typhon tried to protest but the words caught in his throat. Little by little his body began to shrivel up until he was nothing but an empty husk, eventually turning into a dust pile on the floor. "And with that I have more than enough power to take you on, Kenshin Suzaku," he said, swinging his sword out to the side.

"A parasitic-type Arrancar. Or maybe that was your ability as a youma," Kenshin noted, quickly losing interest. "Meh, you're nothing special really. We've already encountered an Arrancar that could do very much the same thing."

A vein throbbed in Borin's temple as he bared his teeth at Kenshin. He tightened his grip on his sword before charging, swinging with enough force to send shockwaves through the air. However, Kenshin blocked them with no seeming discomfort which only served to make Borin strike harder. Gradually he began to speed up and Kenshin easily kept pace. Eventually they locked blades but it was obvious from the look on Kenshin's face that he'd already checked out.

"Damn it! Why won't you take this seriously?!" Borin growled at him as a bead of sweat ran down his face. When Kenshin didn't answer Borin charged a Cero with his free hand. The energy wrapped around his forearm as he reeled back deliver the blow. He grinned like a feral animal until he felt a stinging sensation from his shoulder. He looked over to see a smattering of blood drops in the air and his arm falling away from him. Borin's eyes widened further as Kenshin grabbed the severed arm's bicep and swung it like a club, the contained Cero exploding on impact with Borin's head.

A cloud of smoke flew away from Kenshin, skidding across the floor before crashing into the wall. By the time he was visible again most of the flesh around Borin's skull had regenerated though a patch of bone was still visible. "Interesting Cero you have there, Borin," Kenshin commented as his zanpakutō returned to its sealed state. "Interesting but not really worth leaving you alive over." Borin bared his teeth and started to charge Kenshin when the shinigami held his hand out. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61 – Rikujōkōrō!" From his open palm six yellow beams of light rushed out, slamming around Borin's waist and locking him in place.

The Arrancar tried to move but the energy coursing through his body refused to let him do so. "What the hell did you do to me?" he roared at Kenshin but he was given no answer. Kenshin only sheathed his sword and put his hands together off to the side.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!," he began chanting as blue flames began to form around the index and middle fingers of both hands.

Realizing what he was about to do Borin fed his energy into his hierro, thickening it to the point where his skin began to morph into platemail-like protrusions. "Just try and use your little spell on me, damned shinigami!" he taunted as his sclera turned black. "I bear the ultimate defense, one that no spell or blade can pierce!"

Kenshin seemed unfazed, even smiling a bit at his opponent's confidence. "On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus," he continued. "In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado # 73 – Soren Sōkatsui!" With both hands Kenshin pushed the gathered energy out into a wave of flame that quickly engulfed Borin. The Arrancar roared in pain as his regeneration tried to keep up with the destruction of his body.

When the flames subsided there was a gaping hole behind Borin. The panicked cries of the other students could be heard even from the cafeteria as they likely assumed they were under attack. The lack of the police being called seemed only to exacerbate their concern. As for Borin there was nothing but a pile of ash where he'd stood. "So much for your ultimate defense," Kenshin scoffed as he turned his attention to Jadeite. "I'm wondering," he started, pulling the Dark Kingdom general from his shock, "are you intelligent enough to know how this ends if you resist? Or do I need to force you into submission like your big friend there?" Sure enough Darien was still face-first on the floor though his wounds had finally healed.

Jadeite swore under his breath as what Kenshin meant began to sink in. "You want to take both Darien and myself prisoner," he said but Kenshin said nothing, prompting Jadeite to start laughing. "You talk a big game but with how hard you've been fighting I doubt you have much left in you. I think I'll be taking what I know back with me." As he began to gather the energy to teleport away Kenshin leapt towards him, driving his fist into the human's gut.

"Since when were you given permission to leave?" the shinigami asked as Jadeite attempted to draw breath. Kenshin did a forward flip, dropping his foot onto Jadeite's head and rocketing him toward the ground. At the last second Jadeite caught himself only to have to dodge another punch from Kenshin, the force of the impact cracking the floor. Jadeite was forced to keep dodging as Kenshin refused to let up, striking hard every time the human tried to teleport away.

 _"I'm never going to get out of here at this rate,"_ he thought to himself as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. He was also reminded of Empress Beryl's warning should he fail again. _"I doubt bringing her the identity of the Sailor Guardians will matter much if I couldn't defeat even one of them."_ He gripped the hilt of his rapier tightly as he grit his teeth. "Fine, have it your way," he said to Kenshin while drawing his sword. "But you should know that I'm no pushover like those useless Arrancar."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Kenshin replied, still thoroughly bored. Jadeite scoffed before coming at him only to have Kenshin dodge with ease. He slashed several times but Kenshin seemed to just slip by all of them without any effort.

Jadeite could feel his irritation building but he pushed it from his mind, bringing his rapier in line with his body in a dueling stance before going at Kenshin again, his senses now focused. He began with a series of thrusts that, when dodged, he turned into slashes. Jadeite came at Kenshin from every angle possible but the shinigami continued to dodge each attack. However, it was no longer with the same ease as before as Kenshin quickly realized that if he wasn't careful Jadeite would be able to do serious harm.

Kenshin brought his fists up and slipped past Jadeite's next jab, striking his cheek with a hard elbow blow. As he reeled back Kenshin followed up with a knee to the gut before extending into a full kick which pushed Jadeite back several feet. Jadeite came to a stop just in time for Kenshin to level several of his own jabs, most of them missing by a hair's breadth though one skinned Jadeite's cheek and drew a trickle of blood.

 _"He's good,"_ the human thought as he continued to dodge while looking for an opening. He blocked another kick with his free arm only to have a fist planted in his face. There was a warm sensation on his face that confirmed Kenshin's hit had broken his nose with the last blow. _"He's_ very _good. I've never fought someone who can so effectively fight against an armed opponent. Are all Shinigami this powerful?"_

"This is almost too painful to watch," Makoto commented as Kenshin continued to pummel Jadeite. She looked at Minako wearing Kenshin's scarf. "How are you holding up, Minako? Seeing him die like that…"

"I'm okay I think," the blonde replied. "I don't understand all of what's going on but…" She gripped the scarf around her shoulders tightly. "I know that he's alright. And for now, I guess, that's all I'm worried about." The others stared at her as they tried to come up with something to say but had their attention drawn back to the fight as Jadeite cried out in pain.

Kenshin had switched styles, choosing to use jiu-jitsu to deflect Jadeite's sword completely before pulling him in and striking point-blank with an open palm. Jadeite felt his ribcage creaking under the strain of Kenshin's hit but was forced to take a step back to keep his balance. As he did, though, he left an opening that the shinigami was quick to exploit: while Jadeite was in midstep Kenshin kicked out the human's planted foot and grabbed his face, slamming him into the ground. After a moment there was a flash of blood and Jadeite's sword was protruding from Kenshin's left shoulder, its once-silver blade stained with blood.

"I didn't think with the level of training that you must have that you would fall for something so simple," Jadeite admitted, trying to mask the pain he was in behind a malicious smile. His smile turned to confusion as Kenshin stared at him blankly.

He looked over to his shoulder and with an almost bored reaction said, "Oh. Sorry, didn't even notice that was there." He let go of Jadeite's head and the two of them stood with Jadeite maintaining a death grip on the hilt of his sword. Blood flowed freely from Kenshin's wound but the shinigami still seemed to barely register the hit. "What are you, an idiot?" he asked before letting the right side of his shihakusho fall off his torso.

Scars littered his chest and abdomen, some of them light and nearly impossible to see but the majority of them dark, clearly mementos of truly vicious wounds. Diagonally across his abs were three large puncture scars that were mirrored on his back. "What makes you think that your little pigsticker can do what a hundred and twenty years as a shinigami hasn't?" he asked, a hint of twisted joy in his voice. Though he made no move to look Kenshin could just as much feel as he could hear the surprise of the Sailor Guardians.

"What…what are you?" Jadeite asked now desperately trying to free his sword. Kenshin's muscles instinctively flexed, keeping the rapier right where it was.

The shinigami gave a simply sigh as he closed his eyes. "What am I?" he responded. "I'm bored."

Jadeite never saw Kenshin draw his sword. He didn't even realize he'd been cut until a curtain of blood filled his vision. He fell back onto the ground, unable to move a muscle. "Looks like that poison Captain Kurotsuchi gave me really does work better on humans," Kenshin said, standing over Jadeite's still form. "I just gave you a fatal wound and it's already healed. Not bad." He glanced at the blade of his katana briefly before sheathing it. "He designed it to work mainly against humans but it seems to work nicely against Arrancar too." Kenshin looked over at Darien whose wounds had finally healed. "The regeneration is a little slow but the paralysis works just fine."

"You…bastard," Jadeite managed to mutter, his eyes glowing with rage. He tried to keep speaking but his body refused to do as he told it.

Kenshin gave a satisfied smirk before grabbing Jadeite's rapier near the tang and removing it from his shoulder. There was a single spurt of blood from the hole in his shoulder before becoming just a trickle. "Were you ever planning to come out, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Kenshin yelled into the air as he tossed the blade aside.

The Sailor Guardians looked around, nearly jumping out of their skin as the air next to them rippled before peeling back, revealing an eccentrically dressed shinigami captain. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. You were, after all, in the Kido Corps," Mayuri Kurotsuchi said in his nasal voice. He stepped out of the concealing spell, barely even noticing the destruction around him but walked over Darien's still form to stare at Jadeite. "Is there a particular reason you didn't dispose of these two?"

"That one," Kenshin said pointing at Darien, "is an Arrancar created from a youma. He also has no Resurrección; instead he uses an ability that through his reiatsu he alters the perceptions of the humans under its influence." The Captain's gaze didn't move nor did he show any interest in Darien. "Huh. Well, goes to show what I know that interests you." Blue flames formed around Kenshin's hand as he prepared to fire another Sōkatsui. Just before firing he let slip, "Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that their regenerative abilities outstrip the Menos Grande _and_ Arrancar in terms of speed and effectiveness. They can even fully recover from decapitation."

"Really now?" Mayuri asked, his interest now piqued. Kenshin's spell faded as the Captain looked to the now-twitching Arrancar. "I'll accept your gift graciously, Kenshin. Now…" he looked towards Jadeite. "Why do I want him?"

Kenshin kicked Jadeite in the ribs, prompting him to groan in pain. "Hmm? Oh, you mean this idiot? Figured that I'd turn him over to the Onmitsukidō, let them pull some information out of him." He grabbed Jadeite by the back of his uniform jacket before walking over to Darien and kicking him up into the air so he landed on Kenshin's shoulder. Mayuri then drew his sword and held it in front of the both of them. A set of traditional doors materialized in front of them and slid open, revealing a bright white light.

Minako quickly stood up as the two shinigami approached the glowing doorway. "Kenshin!" she shouted after her boyfriend. Mayuri stepped into the light without hesitation but Kenshin stopped just at the edge of the light. His grip around his prisoners tightened briefly though he eventually followed the Captain. The doors closed behind him and disappeared back into nothing.

The girls were left speechless. They had barely moved or even spoken by the time emergency services arrived and even then they weren't sure what to say. Once they were able to confirm they were okay the girls were sent on their way home along with the rest of the students. They were silent on their way through the snow, barely even registering the cold. They went their separate ways eventually, muttering brief 'goodbyes' before heading home. Minako stopped when she reached the Urahara store where the lights were all off. She knocked on the door but there was no response, more or less what she had expected. She continued down the street to her house where Artemis was waiting for her outside.

"Are you okay? Luna and I heard explosions and…" The white cat stopped as Minako shuffled past him. "Minako, is everything okay?" he asked, noticing Kenshin's scarf still around her shoulders. She was silent as she opened her door with Artemis quickly following suit, not wanting to have to climb back in through her bedroom window.

On her bed was a duffel bag with a note that read "Yoruichi". In it were the clothes she'd changed out of at Urahara's before she and Kenshin had left. Artemis watched as she just flopped down next to the bag, her face buried in her pillow. Worry gnawed at his gut as he watched her slowly cry herself to sleep.


	14. In the Spirit of Forgiveness

The following morning in the Tsukino household the family was gathered around the table eating their breakfast with the news on the TV.

"A gas explosion late last night as Juuban High School left several students injured and with the cafeteria decimated beyond recognition," the newswoman reported as images of the school's exterior flashed next to her. "All the students are accounted for and all but one had their injuries treated at the scene by paramedics. One student has been hospitalized for several severe injuries but doctors are reporting that he is well on his way to recovery."

"That's horrible," Ikuko said as she put several more pancakes on the table. She turned to her daughter who was just poking at her breakfast. "Are you sure you're okay, Usagi? It must have been horrible being in the middle of that."

"Hmm?" Usagi muttered, looking up from her food. "Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. I just hope Kenshin gets better soon." When asked who he was she replied, "He's a friend of ours from school. He's also the one they took to the hospital last night." The image of Kenshin having his back broken and then his lifeless body being tossed aside replayed in her mind, forcing her to look down into her pancakes again.

"Well it's good to hear he's gonna be fine," her father, Kenji, said as he cleared his plate. "Brave boy must've been pulling people away from the explosion to be hurt that badly. Gotta say, if you put yourself in the hospital it might as well be for something good."

His thought was interrupted by the phone which Ikuko answered. "Tsukino residence. Oh, hello," she answered, her voice brightening. "Yes, we heard about it last night from Usagi. No, she and all the girls are fine." Her positivity quickly faded as she listened to the person on the other end. "Oh my. I wonder if it has something to do with that boy in the hospital. I'll ask Usagi if she can check on her today." There was another pause. "That's terrible. Are the two of you going to be okay? Well that's good to hear at least. But what about Minako? She's going to be heartbroken not getting to see you two before Christmas."

Usagi's attention was drawn to her mother's conversation at the mention of Minako's name. Her mother said her goodbyes before hanging up and looking to her daughter. "Usagi, dear, would you mind checking on Minako? Her parents have been calling the house and her cell phone all morning but haven't been able to reach her."

Usagi nodded, fairly certain she knew why the Guardian of Venus wasn't answering any calls. She got up to get her coat when another thought came to mind. "Mom, was there something wrong with Minako's mom and dad?" she asked.

"Oh they're just stuck at the airport until they clear the runway of all the snow," was the response. "But there's also another storm brewing so they're not sure they'll be home in time for Christmas."

"Then would you mind helping me do something for Minako?" Ikuko and Kenji both looked at their daughter with a mixture of surprise and pride.

"Of course, Usagi," her father answered, preempting his wife. "Just let us know what you need."

Usagi's face brightened immeasurably as she waved a quick goodbye to her parents before running out the door. Luna leapt onto Usagi's shoulder as the bun-headed teen ran through the streets. As she did she called each of the girls, explaining her plan as she tried not to slip on the snow-covered ground. The other Sailor Guardians couldn't say 'yes' fast enough, each then presumably heading out to carry out their part in Usagi's plan. By the time she reached Minako's house she had just hung up with Makoto. A white cat was keeping lookout at one of the windows and his ears perked up at the sight of Usagi and Luna.

"Are you sure she's even going to let you carry this out, Usagi?" Luna asked as Usagi picked up the fake rock with Minako's spare key.

Usagi unlocked the front door before putting the key and rock back. "If I have to drag her out of here myself we're doing this for her," the blonde replied, pumping her arm with a confident smile on her face.

As she opened the door she could see Artemis waiting for her. "I'm glad you two are here," he said, worry evident in his voice. "Minako hasn't said a word since last night and I'm starting to worry. I've never seen her this bad." He briefly looked back toward Minako's room. "Anyone mind telling me what happened?"

Usagi asked Luna to handle telling Artemis everything, having explained it to her guardian the night before, while she went to her friend's door, gently knocking. When there was no response she quietly opened it to see Minako lying on her bed still in costume, her face buried in the pillow. "Hey, Minako," she said quietly. She bit her lip as she struggled over what to say.

"I really just want to be alone right now, Usagi," was Minako's muffled response. She felt the bed shift as Usagi sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through," Usagi said, staring at the floor. "To be honest I'm still trying to figure this out for myself."

"Are you gonna tell me too that I just need to forget about Kenshin? That the jerk lied to us the whole time just to learn about the Sailor Guardians?"

Usagi could tell from the tone in Minako's voice that she was bitter (with every right to be, she noted mentally). "I suppose I could," the bun-haired teen admitted. She looked over at Minako. "Or I could tell you that we need to find him so you could tear him a new one." That got Minako's attention as she leaned up and turned to Usagi. "I guess if you want answers from him that would be a good time to get them too." Minako stared at her friend in surprise, not sure of what to think or say. "Well, you in?" Usagi asked, her face beaming.

"Yeah, I'm in," was Minako's response as both got off the bed. A mysterious odor wafted from Minako causing Usagi to pinch her nose shut. "But first I need to ditch these clothes and get a shower. I've definitely smelled better days."

Once she was showered and changed Minako met Usagi by the door, Kenshin's scarlet scarf wrapped around her neck. Usagi felt like saying something but a silent admonition from Luna quieted her. The two friends headed out into the wintry city while Luna and Artemis hung back for the other girls and Usagi's mother, who Usagi had called while Minako had been getting ready. Now it was the bun-haired teen's job to keep Minako distracted for the next couple hours.

* * *

Usagi shivered as they walked back to Minako's after several hours of unsuccessful searching. They'd gotten into the school, easily slipping by the police and construction workers with the help of Usagi's Disguise Pen, but they'd been unable to find anything helpful. Several of the people working there had made comments how they'd never seen a gas explosion do the kind of damage they were seeing but they accepted it all the same, making the two girls wonder if somehow someone from Soul Society was manipulating their memories.

They'd also stopped by Urahara's shop where a young boy and girl were tending the shop. The boy had been rude, to put it politely, and his behavior was "fixed" by a towering man with short black hair, glasses, and a pointed moustache. The girl, who was carrying boxes that looked like they weighed more than her just stared at the blondes curiously but was willing to be helpful. When asked where Urahara or Yoruichi were they said that "both were out of town on some personal business". Minako knew they weren't telling her the whole truth but she also that trying to get anything else out of them would not only be fruitless but rude. She bowed, thanked them, and left the store with worry gnawing at her gut.

"Anywhere else you think he might be?" Usagi asked as their footsteps crunched in the snow.

Minako shook her head, a look of disappointment on her face. "I don't know why I was expecting to find him by chance this way," she admitted. "He's probably back in Soul Society with all his friends while we've been forgotten."

"There's no way Kenshin would do that!" Usagi insisted, causing Minako to stop and look at her in surprise. "Sure, he lied to us about who and what he is but that doesn't mean he'd just forget us. He was willing to risk his life to protect you. That has to mean something, right?"

It took a moment but Minako's face brightened a little bit. "You're right, Usagi," she replied as she turned once more, a fire burning in her eyes. "We're gonna find that jerk and kick his butt!" Both girls gave a triumphant shout that was rudely interrupted by Minako's growling stomach. Her face turned bright red as she looked back at Usagi. "Well, in all fairness food takes a higher priority than Kenshin." Both girls laughed as they continued back towards Minako's house.

As soon as they came upon the house Minako knew something was wrong. She was fairly certain that she'd turned the lights off but there they were, on like nobody cared. She cautiously opened the front door only to have Makoto swing it open and drag her in. "It's about time you got here!" she playfully scolded her friend, giving her a quick chop on the head. "Usagi said you'd only be gone a couple hours at best." Minako was about to ask Usagi about this when the smell of fried chicken wafted by her and all other thoughts were put aside.

"We started without you!" Rei shouted from the kitchen as the blondes took off their winter gear. As Minako walked towards the kitchen she looked around her. The girls had set up a variety of decorations, even managing to get a tree on almost no notice. There were a stack of wrapped presents under the tree and various pictures of the five Inner Guardians taped across walls. A warm feeling filled Minako as a smile crept onto her face.

"Thank you, guys," she said, brushing away a stray tear.

"Are you gonna stand there gawking or are you gonna eat?" Usagi asked, a drumstick poking out of her mouth.

As the day wore on Minako had all but forgotten that her parents were stuck in an airport somewhere and they still had no idea what had happened to Kenshin. As they were unwrapping presents Makoto brought out the Christmas cake, a light sponge cake decorated with strawberries and whipped cream. For the gifts a handful of them were labeled for each girl. At one point Minako opened up a box to reveal a dark blue negligee, causing her entire body to turn red. Usagi had gotten lucky and turned up with several boxes of Pocky, squealing with delight as she stared at her prize. Rei had come across several CDs of different artists that she had been dying to listen to while Makoto stared at the cookbook she'd unwrapped. It was filled to the brim with recipes from all over the world and even a few that she wasn't sure were actually food. Finally, Ami came away with several bound collections of romance novels and shōjo manga, much to her embarrassment and earning some ribbing from Makoto.

Some time later Minako sank into the couch, staring at the mess of paper that was strewn through the living room. While all the girls had gotten plenty of gifts she couldn't help but feel like something was off. The labeled gifts that none of them remembered getting worried her the most. How had someone gotten into the house while they were putting everything together and left them? And who on earth knew them well enough to know those were the presents they would want (in most cases)?

She mentally smacked herself before taking a long sip from the mug of eggnog Makoto had made. It was one of the recipes in the book that had caught her eye. Minako had to admit it was…different. She was also happy that Makoto hadn't followed the recipe exactly since it had called for a healthy helping of rum.

"Thank you again, guys," she said as the others settled around the living room with her.

"It was actually Usagi's idea," Ami admitted as she sipped at her tea. "She said that since your parents couldn't make it back in time that it was our job as your friends."

The warm feeling in her chest returned as a knock sounded from the door. "You think it's your mom bringing cookies, Usagi?" Rei asked.

"Ugh, I don't think I can eat any more sweets," the blonde answered, a mildly sick expression on her face. "I must have gone through half of that Pocky."

"I'll give her a hand," Makoto offered as she took off her apron and headed for the door. She opened the door, expecting Ikuko but was greeted instead by a large-breasted woman with blonde hair. She was dressed in a black shihakusho with a pink scarf wrapped around her shoulders. "Umm, who are you?" Makoto asked just before the woman fell onto her, burying Makoto's head in her chest.

"Hmm? I thought you were supposed to be a blonde," the woman said, her speech slurred. She craned her head back. "Hey! You said she was blonde."

"For crying out loud, Rangiku. I can't take you anywhere without you getting hammered."

Minako felt her heart skip a beat as she bolted towards the hallway leading to the door with the other girls following suit. Makoto was still trying to push Rangiku off her, one of her hands accidentally groping the shinigami. "Ohoho, so that's what you're trying to do," Rangiku said slyly as Makoto turned beet red. "All you had to do is ask, you know. If you really want to-"

"Will you just give the poor girl a break?" Kenshin asked, picking Rangiku up by the back of her shihakusho. "I swear, you convince me to stop at one bar and this is how you end up. How in the world did you ever make Lieutenant?"

"Thanks, Kenshin," Makoto said reflexively as she stood up, her legs still a bit unsure. It only took a moment to snap back to her senses and she balled her hand into a fist, ready to let the shinigami have it. Before she could a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Minako walked calmly past the brunette as Kenshin set Rangiku down on her feet. The tension in the room was palpable as the two stared at each other.

Now it was Minako's turn to form a fist and she nearly leveled Kenshin with a single punch straight to the face, causing him to reel back from the impact. Even the other girls cringed as Minako's fist connected, for a brief moment feeling sorry for Kenshin. Kenshin gave a pained grunt as he regained his composure, a red welt forming on his cheekbone. "I definitely deserved that," he admitted just before seeing Minako's incoming karate chop.

"YOU JERK!" she yelled at him as she let loose chop after chop. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?! You can't even call to let me know that you're okay?"

" _That's_ what she's mad about?" Rei asked, flinching with every blow.

"You'd think it would be more about him lying to us," Ami added.

Minako stopped as she tried to catch her breath. Kenshin was face down on the floor, his arms and legs twitching. "Wow, he looks like a giant bug," a cheery voice said next to Minako. The blonde nodded as she dusted her hands off smugly before noticing the extra weight attached to her shoulder. She turned to her left to see a young girl with bright pink hair staring at Kenshin happily. "And you just went and squished him. _Splat!_ " she finished, miming a fly swatter.

"How did you…?" Minako started just as the girl disappeared. She turned back to Kenshin to see the girl poking his side with a stick.

"C'mon, Mr. Birdy. You're not supposed to be squashed like a bug," the girl told him, still poking.

"Would you please stop calling me that, Lieutenant Kusajishi?" Kenshin asked in a pained voice. "For crying out loud we're in the same division. You'd think that you'd learn my name by now."

"Wait, _she's_ a shinigami?" Rei asked incredulously. Yachiru Kusajishi nodded before showing off her badge. It had the kanji for '11' with the etching of a yarrow underneath it. Rei turned to Rangiku who had a similar badge but with the kanji for '10' and a daffodil etching. "How the hell are a kid and a drunk lieutenants?"

"Are all shinigami like this?" Ami wondered out loud as she thought back. "No, Chōjirō was very polite and sophisticated. Then again I suppose they it takes all kinds of people to be shinigami."

"Hey, I'm not drunk!" Rangiku protested, feigning anger as a smile crept onto her face. "At least not yet." Kenshin muttered something impolite under his breath as he tried to stand. "That's big talk coming from the guy who just got flattened by a little girl," she retorted quickly.

Minako briefly debated responding but chose to tend to Kenshin instead. "You okay?" she asked, brushing one of the welts on his forehead.

"I'll live," was his reply, accompanied with a shrug. "Besides, it's not like I didn't have that coming."

"Well, you have this coming too," Minako said. She pulled Kenshin in close and locked lips with him, taking him by surprise for a second before he returned the sentiment. Makoto's and Usagi's jaws nearly hit the floor while Rei and Ami smiled knowingly. After several moments Minako and Kenshin separated. "Merry Christmas, Kenshin," she said with a smile.

"Oooh, I want one too!" Rangiku said before Kenshin could respond, charging the male shinigami. On instinct Kenshin tried pushing Minako out of harm's way but ended up sending her right at Rangiku.

"Woohoo!" Yachiru yelled as Minako's entire body turned red. "Way to go, Boobies!" Minako just stood in complete and utter shock as Rangiku backed up with a bit of stumble.

"Not…what I was expecting," the shinigami admitted, surprise evident in her voice. Minako just stammered a nonsensical response, retaining enough composure to look for her boyfriend who was quietly trying to retreat. He stopped when he felt a presence behind him, turning to see a shadow version of Minako, complete with glowing red eyes, with a karate chop lined up. The other girls winced as Minako let loose another barrage on Kenshin.

A bit later they were all spread through the living and dining rooms, general festive talk going about. Kenshin was seated on the couch, tending to his battered and bruised body, when Makoto offered him an ice pack. "Can I ask you something?" the brunette said as she sat down next to him. "When this whole thing started you said that you weren't interested in dating any of us, even Minako. What changed?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," Kenshin admitted, placing the ice pack on the side of his head. "I've been trying to figure that out for myself for a while now but I still haven't come up with a good answer."

"Speaking of answers," Minako said, plopping down next to her boyfriend, "mind telling us how you survived? I mean, that bald Arrancar broke your back and turned you to dust."

"Hang on a second," Rangiku said, taking a sip from the sake bottle she'd brought with her. "Kenshin lost? Since when does that happen?"

"If I'd been able to get out of my gigai then it wouldn't have been an issue," he fired back. "For whatever reason I didn't have any gikongan with me so I didn't have much of a say in the matter." He took a deep breath as the rest of the Sailor Guardians joined them. Yachiru was somewhere in the house, having found the cookies and then quickly disappearing with them. "And technically speaking I didn't lose. I just had to be a little…creative in how I won.

"Anyway, you know what happens to someone when they die, right?" Several of the girls offered answers, all wrong, but Ami recalled how the soul was ejected from the body. "Right. Normal souls are tied to the body by their Chain of Fate but not shinigami."

"So when the Arrancar broke your back your body died, right?" Rei asked and Kenshin nodded. "I get it. Since you didn't have a way out of your body you needed a quick escape."

"Once my limiter was released it became a bit more urgent," he added, rolling up his left sleeve to show the yarrow tattoo. "A combat gigai can take one helluva beating but it's not meant to take a shinigami's full strength." When asked if all shinigami had the limiter Kenshin shook his head. "Normally only Captains and Lieutenants do. I had to specifically ask for mine since I'm only a fourth seat."

"So that's why you disintegrated?" Minako asked as she recalled feeling his body crumbling in her arms. "The gigai just couldn't handle it? What if you hadn't gotten out?"

Now it was Rangiku who spoke up, unusually calm and serious for someone who'd been drinking. "Then you wouldn't be having this discussion," she replied simply. "If a shinigami is trapped inside a gigai when it's destroyed then so is the shinigami. It's happened only a few times that I can think of so we're always careful to make sure to either avoid combat or get out somewhere safe."

"So you basically were trying to commit suicide so that you wouldn't die," Usagi said, running her finger along the edge of her mug of cocoa. "That sounds a little farfetched."

Kenshin scoffed. "Coming from the Princess of the Moon I'd beg to differ," he retorted. "Besides, I didn't have time to slowly separate otherwise I would've tried that first. Taking those guys on in a gigai was about the dumbest thing I've ever done."

"I don't know about that," Ami commented before anyone else could. "If you hadn't jumped in when you did then those Arrancar would have done a great deal more damage and hurt more people if not killing them. I thought it was rather brave."

"I was gonna go more for 'badass'," Makoto admitted with a smirk.

Kenshin asked them to drop it before more of them weighed in, not wanting to dwell on what he'd had to do. Rei and Usagi responded by bringing out a karaoke machine they'd brought over and loading up several Christmas songs. It didn't take long for Rangiku to start making up her own versions of the songs while waving her bottle of sake to her own beat. It only took a few minutes of this for Kenshin to disappear, preferring silence to Rangiku's drunken crooning.

Minako stepped outside, wrapped tightly in her coat and Kenshin's scarf. She'd used the excuse of going to look for Kenshin, which was true, but she also wanted to escape the terrible singing of Rangiku and Makoto. _"I was sure he came out here,"_ she thought as she looked around. The crunch of snow behind her prompted a look back but there was nothing. On a whim she looked up to the roof to see her boyfriend sitting comfortably on the snow. "How did you get up there?" she asked instinctively. With that Kenshin vanished, reappearing next to her before reappearing back on the roof with her in tow. "Hang on. How…?"

"I was hoping that would answer your question," he replied simply, picking up the sake glass and taking a slow sip from it. "Besides, is it absolutely necessary you know?"

"I suppose not," Minako admitted as her gaze locked onto the glass and the gourd of sake next to Kenshin. "Hey! You can't drink sake, you're a minor!" Kenshin was mid sip when he just glanced over at her, arching an eyebrow at the same time.

"If I'm still a minor at 176 then I think I deserve a drink or two."

Minako blinked several times, mentally trying to both comprehend what he'd said and figure out the difference in their ages. She then resorted to counting on her fingers for a few seconds before staring at him again in shock. "But how are you… You look…" she stammered, several thoughts coming to the fore at once.

"I'm a soul so I don't age like humans do. The leader of the Gotei 13, for example, is over a thousand and looks like he's in his 80s." He set the sake glass down next to the bottle and shot Minako a playful smirk. "Would you prefer if I looked more like a middle-aged guy?" Minako could feel her entire body blushing as she struggled to find something to say as Kenshin just laughed. "Relax, Minako. I'm just messing with you. But I _am_ 176."

Minako's blush faded as she stared at the snow by her feet. "I must look like a child to you then," she said dejectedly. "You've lived longer than I ever will, ever could really, and-"

Her complaint was silenced as Kenshin pressed his lips to hers, catching her off-guard. As he pulled back Minako could see a warmth in his eyes that had never been present and a gentle smile on his face. "I've never seen you as a child," he said softly, his thumb brushing over her cheek. Minako responded with a very satisfied smile as she leaned against him, wanting to be close to him and also trying to syphon a little heat from him.

The two of them sat on the roof like that for some time, watching the stars in the night sky. "Oh, I almost forgot about your Christmas present!" she realized as she tried to stand. Just as she lost her footing Kenshin caught her and they were on the ground no worse for wear. "Okay, you seriously have to teach me to do that," she told him as they headed inside. There Rangiku was passed out at the table, a very happy expression on her face with two empty bottles of sake next to her and a curly cue mustache drawn on her upper lip. Ami and Rei were playing a card game with Yachiru, and losing badly (though Kenshin pointed out it was only because Yachiru kept changing the rules without telling anyone), while Usagi and Makoto were going through Makoto's cookbook circling various things they both wanted to try. "Stay here," Minako told Kenshin as she went to her room. All eyes were on him as he stood there, a nagging worry gnawing at him.

"Hey Kenshin, quick question," Usagi said and he turned to her. "There were a bunch of gifts here that none of us recall buying. Were those you?"

Kenshin nodded. "Some of them, like yours Usagi, were pretty easy," he answered. "Ami's took a bit more work to figure out." Ami jumped up a little as a light blush filled her cheeks.

"Minako's too?" Makoto asked, trying not to smile as she recalled the negligee her friend had gotten.

"It's part of the reason Rangiku came with me. I had absolutely no idea what to get her," Kenshin admitted with a sigh. "She hasn't said anything about it though. What did she think?"

"That…was _you?_ " he heard a gravelly voice ask from behind him, causing Kenshin's heart to leap into his throat. He turned around slowly to see a furiously blushing Minako holding a long object in a purple velvet sleeve, her hands clamping down as she turned redder and redder. "You JERK!" She swung the object down, about to end Kenshin in one stroke, when she was stopped just short of Kenshin's head.

"I think I might be able to help with that," Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya said. He wasn't in a gigai and wore both his haori and Hyōrinmaru across his back. The girls all stared at the young shinigami in surprise.

"Hang on, he's wearing the same kind of coat that weird scientist was wearing," Rei pointed out, prompting an annoyed stare from Hitsugaya.

"I'd prefer if you didn't compare me to Captain Kurotsuchi," was the young Captain's response, letting go of Kenshin's present when he was sure Minako wasn't going to hit him or Kenshin. He pulled a small rectangular box out of his shihakusho and handed it to Kenshin. "I found this in my office and figured you had something to do with it. Rangiku must've swapped it out with whatever she got for this girl instead."

Before Kenshin could turn on the drunk shinigami Tōshirō was already walking over to her, tossing her unconscious form over his shoulder with little discomfort. "Don't worry. I'll see to it that she gets something fitting as punishment," the Captain reassured him before looking towards Yachiru. "Lieutenant Kusajishi, Captain Zaraki's been looking for you. It would be best if you came back with me."

Yachiru's face fell for a brief second before cheering right back up. "Okay! See ya' soon, Mr. Birdy and Blondie!" she said as Tōshirō opened the Senkaimon. A small black butterfly exited the gate briefly as they stepped through, the gate vanishing soon after.

"What did Yachiru mean that's she'd 'see us soon'?" Usagi asked, prompting Kenshin to let out a heavy sigh.

"I'll explain tomorrow. It's a bit late to talk about all that right now," he said. He turned his gaze to Minako next. "I don't know what Rangiku tried getting me killed over and I don't wanna know." He handed the box to her. " _This_ is my present to you."

Minako tucked Kenshin's present under her arm as she opened the box, revealing a silver necklace with a circular pendant. The pendant itself was inlaid with a vibrant orange gem that seemed to glow the moment Minako's hand brushed it. "It's beautiful," she told her boyfriend.

"The gem is very special," Kenshin explained as Minako put the necklace on. "It'll absorb some of the excess energy you give off and store it, saving it for when you need an extra boost of energy. And no, it's not a one-and-done deal, you can use it again and again provided you remember to charge it." He let out another sigh. "At least that better be the case considering it cost me nearly a year's worth of wages."

The girls all stared at him in a state of shock. "She gets that and I got Pocky?" Usagi asked not at all jealous of her friend. When Kenshin noted that she hadn't been all that disappointed before her face puffed up as she muttered a response.

Minako was still in a bit of daze when she recalled her gift to Kenshin. "Now it feels kinda cheap," she admitted with a blush but Kenshin just shook his head smiling. The purple velvet fell off to reveal a sheathed katana. The tsuka was an interwoven emerald green and black cloth with a round tsuba. He drew the sword to see a vine-like design forming the kanji for "Light of Venus" on the bottom third of the blade on either side.

"A sword?" Kenshin asked, genuinely surprised, as he gave it a couple test swings. In a few short moments he could tell that it had been expertly crafted. Its weight was consistent for a sword of its size and was perfectly balanced. "Don't get me wrong, it's nothing short of breathtaking. But I kinda already have a sword that I use on a regular basis."

"It's not for using, stupid boy," Minako said with a sigh. "And I got this before I knew you were a shinigami. Besides, it's supposed to be a decoration, not a weapon." When Kenshin asked her about it being a decoration she reiterated her point. Though he seemed baffled by the idea he seemed more than content by his gift, affixing the sword into his obi next to Hisan Kusari. Minako just shook her head and smiled at her boyfriend, just happy that he was there with them.


End file.
